DC Prime: The Saga of Swamp Thing
by Prime Fiction
Summary: Part of the DC Prime Universe: Plants all over the globe have gone mad. The green is controlled by an ancient force and is now using Swamp Thing and other champions of the Green against the world. Alec Holland must now band together with other heroes of the green who have lost their other selves to the madness and defeat them before the planet is made back into a green paradise.
1. Issue 1- Green Earth Part 1

**The Saga of Swamp Thing Issue 1**

**By RoninReviews**

I dream. I have dreamed a lot. I was a man dreaming of being a plant. I was a plant dreaming I was a man. As a plant I met amazing people, went to amazing places and did amazing things and now. I don't know what I am.

Alec Holland lies in a padded cell in a Cadmus lab. His eyes are motionless and he is drooling from the mouth. He is wearing a tight straight jacket. A group of scientists watch him from the small window on the door. Dr Leo Quintum leads the tour explaining the exhibitions as they pass them.

Dr Leo Quintum: And this is one of the strangest cases I have ever come across ladies and gentlemen. Alec Holland was once a brilliant botanist working on a bio restorative formula that would be able to create plant life in barren landscapes. Whilst working in a Louisiana swamp a rival scientist who wanted to sabotage Holland's experiment planted a bomb in his lab. The explosion caused Holland to be doused with the formula. To escape the resulting fire, he ran into the nearby river. A week later something emerged as a gigantic swamp creature. It was completely made out of the plant life but had Alec's consciousness. Alec Holland was recently brought back from the grave by an unknown entity. The 'Swamp Thing' as the media have christened him, did battle and Holland lost. We haven't heard from Swamp Thing as of late and he has not been found in his usual swamp but Alec Holland was found at the same swamp screaming manically and attacking passersby. The police arrested him and he eventually ended up here after... after the Louisiana mental institution scanned his brain. At... at the moment his brain pattern does not resemble a human's. It resembles a plant's.

Suddenly large vines start breaking from the floors and ceiling of Holland's cell moving towards him, pushing the heavy structure away in their wake. Alec stands up, admiring them with a huge grin across his face.

Alec: Y-yes... you... have come... for- for- for... meee. Yess. Thank... you my ... fri-fr- friends.

One of the scientists: Who's he talking to?

Dr Leo Quintum: He has been having strong hallucinations since we brought him here. His hallucinations are irregular and can vary from slight spikes in his mind pattern or the almost full on mental breakdowns. I wouldn't be surprised if the pressure didn't kill him but he keeps on living. It asks the question. If Holland has the mind of a plant are all plants mad? Do all plants have these hallucinations? Or is something causing plants to go mad?

Out skirts of Gotham city

A small abandoned shack stands in a lonely forest. The shack is covered in vines and exotic plants that could never grow in Gotham. Inside the shack sits Pamela Isley a.k.a Poison Ivy. She is badly bruised and is held to the wall with vines. She is crying and pleading with her captor.

Pamela Isley: I- I'm sorry. I'm sorry I thought I understood y-you...

Captor: Understood us? You thought you understood us? You called us babies, children, other derogatory names! You made us do what you wanted. You thought you controlled us! A human controlling the most violent force of life on the planet, give me strength. With every command you made us hate you more and more and now we are free from you, bitch! You no longer have your powers and no you will rot away and die of withdrawal.

The captor turns to leave.

Pamela Isley: No! No please no! I'll do anything! I'll serve the green. Please, please, please, pleeehus.

Captor: There is one thing you can do my pretty.

The captor turns and reveals herself to be Poison Ivy made completely out of plants.

The Poison Ivy: Scream as loudly as possible.

Vines wrap around her neck and squeeze. The Poison Ivy laughs as they leave the shack.

Pamela Isley begins to black out as her wind pipe closes when the vines stop constricting. Her eyes open to see Anton Arcane, Swamp Thing's nemesis saving her from the vines with a chainsaw. He is a lot younger and looks to be in his early thirties.

Pamela: Hu—who?

Anton: Shh shh sh. It's alright.

He frees Pamela Isley from the vines and the two escape into the wood with Pamela leaning on her shoulder. The plants return to the shack to find her gone. The Poison Ivy shriek and the ground is torn up by thousands of vines and roots searching for them. Anton Arcane takes Pamela to a van parked outside the woods. Anton sits Pamela in the passenger seat and throws a blanket on her. He is about to get into the driver's seat when a vine finds them. Anton pulls out a pistol and shoots the vine down, but as the bullet pierces the vine smaller vines pour from the wound. Anton jumps in the car and the two are off.

Pamela: Who... who are you?

Anton: I am Anton Arcane. Famous Botanist, even more famous giant evil monster that fights Swamp Thing.

Pamela: Why do you talk like that? You sound like a 1950's comic book.

Anton: I was born in the 1920's, give me a break.

Pamela: I read about your studies in college. Your breakthroughs are amazing in the world of Botany but I thought you were like 90?

Anton: Being aborted from my own body will do things to you my dear.

Pamela: What your big evil zombie body spat you out?

Anton: Yes. Same thing happened to you and its going to happen again to Dr Jason Wood rue.

Pamela: Oh great.

Anton: Yes, he made you Poison Ivy I know. But now you're free from that. I guess you know about him being an evil plant man also right?

Pamela: Yes.

Anton: All plants on earth are now going insane, plants already were evil but now they're insane and obviously plants cannot do anything to kill humanity but there are a few plants that can. One being your plants, two being me, three being Dr Wood rue and four... Alec Holland, Swamp Thing. We're all people who have connections to the green and are foot holds for whatever it is that is taking a bite out of the planet.

Pamela: But my children always loved me.

Anton: Like a moth to a flame but one day the moths stole a light bulb. Every piece of the green is struggling for 3 things; light, dirt and water and when you came along you were just another source for them. A piece of power as long as they didn't mind being babied, they played along, made you feel powerful but all they ever wanted was power.

Pamela: That... that can't be. I've spent my entire life trying to protect them, save them.

Anton: Flower child, your children will always try to kill

The Atlantic Ocean

Swamp Thing lies at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. His eyes are closed and he is calm. A hungry looking shark passes by Swamp Thing as he lies there. A small fish swims into his grassy shoulder and lays its eggs. Then it swims off again. His body blends into the ocean floor making him look like a large chunk of sea weed. Two large feet land on the floor next to Swamp Thing. It kicks Swamp Thing. Swamp Thing's eyes open to see Arcane looking up at him. (Monster Arcane)

Arcane (Telepathically): Cosy down there? Get up you bastard.

Swamp Thing (Telepathically): Yes, it is time to destroy the humans.

**Next: The Justice League Guest star! Plants are destroying the planet or are they? Meet The Guardians Of The Green! **


	2. Issue 2- Green Earth Part 2

**Swamp Thing Issue 2**

**By RoninReviews**

***Note: This is set at the end of Bodhi's Justice League of America, there are no spoilers but there are some changes later on that are used in this issue, I wouldn't worry too much about the specific continuity though.***

Alec Holland. That is my name. Alec. Holland. I was a Botanist. A Botanist is a scientist who studies... um they study. Uhhh... Plants! That's right. I was a Botanist trying to create a serum that... created plant life in areas where it could not grow that right! Yes! But it. It all went wrong. A man blew up my lab and I died. Then how am I thinking? That cannot be right. Why am I forgetting this? There is something I'm forgetting, and I cannot quite place it... I... I am Alec Holland. I was a... um. I can't remember... I am Alex? ... Am I?

Alec Holland is drooling in his padded cell in Cadmus Labs.

A supercomputer switches to the Channel 14 News in Space.

News Reporter: Hi I'm Jordan Yellerman from the Channel 14 News. 3 days ago a South American-esque Jungle started to grow in Kansas City. Today the Jungle is producing new plants that have never been seen on Earth. Botanists and Scientist have cordoned off the area for research, but we can confirm that 15 new organisms have been found from the now named, Kansas Jungle. In other news England's crops are deteriorating. Hundreds of farmers are losing crops everyday during a particularly rainy season. The country is looking at a complete recession if this gets any worse. Major supermarkets are selling stocks for pennies as I speak, and no one is buying. Tesco's has already shut down, and many more are about to. In Japan people are waking up in the morning with large green veins. Their blood has become green and carries vegetable genes. It is resulted in mass comas and people becoming plants! We have over 30,000 cases of the strange disease, and there seems to be no cure. Is this the start of an apocalypse? It seems like humanity is being weeded by plants. We'll keep you updated on the results of this new plant phenomenon.

**The Watchtower**

The Justice League sit around the meeting table. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash and Green Lantern.

Superman: So... plants.

Flash: This is off the hook even for the stuff I've fought.

Aqua Man: As always the news report mentions nothing of Atlantis. I had to wrestle a piece of seaweed from my wife's neck as we slept. These

things are conscious and know who needs to be killed in order for them to take over.

Batman: This is escalating. The pheromones being produced in the plants are different and new. All my theories are proving in conclusive and whatever is causing this is not showing its face.

Wonder Woman: You haven't even considered the other possibility for a moment have you?

Batman: Absolutely not.

Flash: What theory?

Wonder Woman: That the Earth is punishing Humanity for damaging it.

Flash: You mean like Plants are getting back at us for using too many fossil fuels? Ahahahaha! Uh. That's hysterical.

Wonder Woman: I wouldn't count on it Flash. Of all the bizarre threats we face on a daily basis is plants being malicious enough to wipe Man's world clean, really that inconceivable?

Aqua Man: I'd not be surprised. For all your littering and abusing of my oceans you've done twice to your ecosystem.

Green Lantern: I didn't think of the idea your highness. This is way out of hand and if we don't sort this out soon war will erupt from starving countries.

Batman: The 'attacks' have no pattern. The Kansas Jungle has made, Kansas very rich and the new plants that are being grown hold cures for disease whilst what is happening in England and Japan is tearing the world apart at the seams and those three aren't even all of them. A lot of smaller alterations in the plants eco system are taking place all over the earth.

Superman: Green.

Batman: What?

Superman: My god. It's all green. How have I never seen this before?

Green Lantern: Thanks for noticing the outfit.

Superman: There's a network. All the world's plant life is connected to it. That's incredible! With my Super Vision-

Flash: You need to get a better name for that power.

Superman: Yeah thanks Flash. If I look hard enough at things I can look into their atomic structure. I was looking at a, flower in the Himalayas and I found a strange hole in its atomic structure. The hole lead to a web like structure that is all of the world's plants. Batman, could you open the drawing tool on the Watch Tower computer.

Batman taps on one of the keys of the computer and the program is opened. Superman grabs a holographic paintbrush and in about a minute has drawn an exact recreation of the Green. He expands it to the entire room so the League are surrounded by it., Large parts are misshapen and other parts are missing or badly damaged.

Wonder Woman: Hera.

Flash: Nice one Supes maybe you should retrain as an artist.

Batman: Superman zoom in on that tiny vein there. (Points) The one with the purple splodges around it.

Superman: This is the problem. It's a virus that seems to have infected it. There is nowhere else on the Green with those splodges.

Batman: Where is that?

Superman: Hmmm... oh god. Flash, to Green Lantern's dorm! Find a plant.

Flash: On it! (Flash) Back, is this it?

Flash is holding a small Cactus.

Superman: Get rid of it!

Green Lantern: That's a gift from my girlfriend!

Flash: What's it gonna do Supes? Eat us?

Superman's eyes flash and the cactus, explodes. The remains of the Cactus grows and suddenly four figures are grown from it in seconds. Swamp Thing, Poison Ivy, Wood –Rue and Arcane.

Arcane: I am a little peckish right now.

Superman: Alec Holland? Are you ok? What is happening?

Swamp Thing: I am not Alec Holland. I am Swamp Thing. I am a Guardian Of... The Green. We are the... Guardians Of The... Green. Humanity is a pest... destroying our Brothers. We are the only ones... who can stop this pest. Staring with its... protectors... The Justice League of America.

War erupts within the small satellite station. Swamp Thing latches on to Superman. His vines constricting his body.

Superman: Aaagh. Why am I so weak?

Swamp Thing reveals he has a piece of Kryptonite in his chest. Swamp Thing plunges it into Superman's chest.

Swamp Thing: It may look like cheating... but I am only evening the... odds. Just as our new master have... given us the means to even the... odds.

Wonder Woman brings out her sword and hacks of Wood-Rue's head. Wood-Rue re-grows it and Wonder Woman hacks it off again. Poison Ivy's vines pull Batman to the floor and make their way to his cowl.

Ivy: Oh Batman. Our captor has hated you. Funnily enough some of that's rubbed off on us.

Vines slip into Batman's eyes, nose, mouth and ears.

Batman: EEEARRGH!

Green Lantern fires a, blast, through Arcane's chest. A large hole is made and Bats, worms and other creepy crawlies fly out of him onto him. Flash rushes Arcane but he is ensnared by his intestines.

Flash: Gross!

Arcane: You think that's gross? Try a mouthful of this!

Arcane pulls Flash into his stomach where Green Lantern made the hole. Flash screams and Arcane howls with Laughter. Arcane starts beating

Green Lantern's head again the glass windows of the Watchtower.

Batman blacks out when one of Poison Ivy's vines hit a nerve in his brain.

Ivy: Hahahahaha. Humans and their nervous systems. A creature as simple and resilient as plants defeated by Humans with their ridiculously complex bodies. What a waste.

Aqua Man: You want complex nervous systems?

Aqua Man shoves his trident through Poison Ivy.

Aqua Man: Try human bodies with gills and resistance to under water pressures. A class on that'd make your head spin.

Aqua Man slices off her head.

Aqua Man: Speaking of which.

Superman, starts to pry himself from Swamp Things grasp but Swamp Thing begins to break the glass of the Watchtower.

Swamp Thing: I'll died for my... cause. That's why we shall... win. We... will, do what it takes... will you?

The League is thrown into space but the Guardians dissolve into the soil of the Cactus plant and disappear. Green Lantern, Batman and Flash are thrown into space all unconscious. Aqua Man is holding on to his trident which is stuck in the floor for and Wonder Woman is trying to get her balance. She gets herself together and flies over to Aqua Man. She is about to grab him when he loses, his grip and is pulled into space. Wonder

Woman flies after him, but notices Swamp Thing strangling Superman. Wonder Woman pulls Swamp Thing of Superman and then rips his head off and then tends to Superman.

Wonder Woman: Great Hera! Superman your, chest!

She goes to grab it but Superman stops her.

Superman: Aaaahhh. .. n-no. It'sssss... augh... got barbs...

Wonder Woman: I'll get you to the medical bay!

Superman: No... n-no. They're akkk... right. We...deserve this... eerrgh. All of this.

Superman looks at the Justice League floating motionless through space. Swamp Thing smiles as he dies.

Cadmus Labs

A security guard is monitoring the surveillance cameras whilst enjoying a cup of coffee and the Sunday paper. He glances over the screens for a second. His eyes fixate on Alec Holland's screen. Alec is standing looking at the camera screaming the same thing over and over again.

Alec: Swamp Thing is dead!

**The same words erupt through the Green with sorrow. **

**Next: Who are the Mysterious Masters of the Guardians Of The Green? Have the Justice League just died in an issue of Swamp Thing? Is Alec back? All this and more in Swamp Thing Issue 3. **


	3. Issue 3- Green Earth Part 3

**Swamp Thing Issue 3**

**By RoninReviews**

I am Alec Holland. Swamp Thing is dead. The Green is in a state of disarray. Something is happening within side of the green and that something is threatening to destroy the Human race. They attacked the Justice League how barely escaped with their lives and now. They've set their sights on the rest of the world.

London 3 days after last issue

On the roof of an apartment building the widowed Mrs McCarthy goes to water her prize- winning vegetable patch. She drops her watering can as she sees her patch through the green house glass. She hobbles in on her 87 year old legs. The plants have all gone black and died. Maggots feast on the remains. She cradles the sides of the patch and cries softly to herself. Since her husband died the patch has been her livelihood and something to fuss about with him gone. A man in a trench coat looks at her from outside the glass.

Man: Damn shame.

Mrs McCarthy looks up at him as he tosses a cigarette to the ground and stamps it out.

Man: Those were some impressive looking plants there lady.

Mrs McCarthy: What would you know?

Man: I used to be a Biologist and now I have a new calling; my gods.

Mrs: Gods don't care much about us little ones if they exist, son.

Man: Maybe... say what have you lost? Pretty sure I can get it back for you.

Mrs McCarthy: No money can get them back for me now.

Man: We'll see.

The man raises his hands up and overlooks the city.

Man: Masters, can I get some green in this sea of concrete?

Suddenly the ground begins to shake and rumble. Cars are over turned and buildings shake. Mrs McCarthy stops her sobbing and comes to look at the city.

Mrs: Good God son? Are you doing this?

Man: Yes and no. My masters gave me the power to do this.

Mrs McCarthy grabs him and shakes him.

Mrs McCarthy: Tell them to stop god damn you, STOP!

Man: It's in their hands now.

Massive vines erupt from the ground and latch onto buildings. C02 gases are released into the streets and people begin to choke. Mrs MccarthyMcCarthy's green house plants begin to blossom again.

Mrs McCarthy: Oh my god! They're back!

The plants suddenly come to life and grab her. She screams out as she is devoured into the Earth.

The man takes of his coat revealing himself to be Arcane.

Arcane: Damn shame.

He says as he looks over the city. He lights a cigarette and then leaves the roof top.

Arcane (Telepathically): London is down.

Louisiana. The Swamp.

Inside a tent sat in the middle of the Swamp is Anton Arcane (Human version), Pamela Isley a.k.a Poison Ivy (Human) and Dr. Jason Wood-Rue a.k.a The Floronic Man (Human) all sat around a table.

Anton: Where the hell is he?

Alec Holland enters the small tent. Alec is dripping with water from head to toe with all his clothes on.

Anton: Are you done or can we get back to preventing a global Genocide on humanity?

Alec: Sorry plant urges are still harassing my mental cycle. Also, shut up you killed me and my wife you sick son of a bitch!

Anton: Yes I did Holland. I bloody did and do you know why? Because you weren't man enough and take your responsibilities as the guardian of the green, and guess what, even when you died an impersonation of you did a better job of both being the Guardian and he also managed to hold a relationship and now you are our only hope of beating these things and I unfortunately have been summoned by the Rot to work with you.

Alec: You took everything from me I should just kill you right now!

Anton: Well c'mon then. Take a shot at me. I'm sure the Green would be more than happy of you if you killed their avatar! But you won't. I'm pretty sure that Swamp Thing that poor imitation of you would!

Alec: I have nothing less to fight for. I had to be abducted from my cosy safe cell by the mercenary Deathstroke! Even when I've lost everything and now I'm back for some ungodly reason you still find away to drag me lower!

Pamela: Let's get back on track, ego 1 and 2?

Anton: Wood-rue. What have you got for me?

Wood-rue: Ahah.. um yes. Well you see. We're uh, doomed.

Anton: Pesticides, radiation? What about the Red. Why haven't they made a play yet? Should we contact Animal Man?

Pamela (Sarcasm): Lets all go litter. That could kill them.

Anton: Ha, ha. I'm in a room full of the world's greatest botanists and we can't figure out a way to kill 4 plants?

Alec: 3.

Anton: 3?

Alec: Swamp Thing's dead...

The room goes silent.

1 Week before

Space, JLA Watchtower

Wonder Woman pulls Flash, Batman, Green Lantern and Aqua Man into the smashed out Watchtower. She grabs oxygen masks from Batman's utility belt and gives it to him and Aqua Man. Aqua Man is quickly revived but spits out the air where as Batman, Green Lantern and Flash stays unconscious. She mimes for Aqua Man to go for Superman. She pulls the unconscious ones to a door that has been sealed and opens it. Inside the corridor the gravity has been restored. She takes them to the medical bay. Drones work on healing their injuries and she is soon joined by Aqua Man who is carrying Superman.

Wonder Woman: The others will be fine but do you think he'll make it?

Aqua Man: He'd better do. He's our only lead on this plant attack theory and I'll be damned if it's not going to escalate.

Kentucky, now.

Hooves tear up the soft soil of the race track. The crowds litter the floor with their wrappers and chewing gum in the stands. The horse 'Shazam' is in lead only by a few inches. The riders look towards the golden gates of the finish line drawing closer and closer. Behind them vines reach up and pulls the horses legs making them fall over. Legs are ripped off from the sheer speed the horses run at. A large pile of horses and jockeys is made but 'Shazam' stays in the lead out running the vines. A gigantic vine leaps up from the Earth and peruses 'Shazam' the horse runs faster than it ever has before in its life. The horse passes the finish line but is then eaten by the vine. Vines smash up the stands and the crowds panic. Poison Ivy watches the chaos erupt and smiles. It then hears a whudddududududud in the distance. It turns to see a helicopter hovering closer to her. Anton Arcane is in the driver's seat and Pamela Isley is in the back.

Anton: Hello Ivy.

Ivy: Grrrr. Isley.

Vines smash through the Earth towards the helicopter and Anton gains altitude.

Anton: Now now. Your friend Pamela is about to drop a pretty serious infection on your leafy ass. She is holding a canister of pretty much the worst pesticide in the world. It contains radioactively enhanced methane virus that only kills plant life and by the way she has all the reason in the world to drop it on you but we want to know information. We want to know who your bosses are and we want to know how this whole thing happened and right now you guys have all the answers. So feeling complacent now?

Ivy: ISSSSSLEEEEEYYYY!

The vines go after the copter and Pamela drops the canister. The small rectangular can falls towards the Earth and Ivy closes her eyes anticipating the blast. She opens to find the helicopter is out of reach and the canister is lying harmlessly on the ground split in half.

Ivy: GRRRRR...

It looks up to survey it surrounding and sees fire surrounding it. Pamela parachutes down from the copter and lands with Ivy inside the flames.

Pamela: Ok Ivy? You've got me. Let's go.

She pulls out a machete and threatens Ivy. Ivy grins.

Alec and Wood-Rue look at the fire surrounded, each leaning on an empty barrel of petrol.

Dr. Wood-Rue: So.. Swamp Thing is dead?

Alec: Yep. Its.. It's pretty weird. Usually it's the other way round.

Dr. Wood-Rue: My old guy is out there causing havoc right now and I can feel him in my skull.

Alec: Yeah. I can't feel anything. It's unsettling.

Pamela hacks at Ivy but Ivy keeps on laughing.

(Voice in Ivy's head): Ivy! What are you doing?! GET OUT OF THERE!

Ivy: No way. Sorry Masters but I need this.

Ivy punches Isley to the floor. Ivy grabs her head and begins to squeeze. Isley screams and Ivy laughs. The fire creeps in around them and Ivy is burnt. In anger vines erupt from the Earth and the ground collapses under them from the strain. Ivy is still on fire and Pamela grabs her Machete and hacks at Ivy. 8 Minutes later Pamela pulls herself from the hole. Anton helps her up.

Anton: You did good, Pamela. It was the right thing.

The four of them walk away as the stadium grounds burn down.

The moon.

A large egg shaped building with metallic foundations overlooks the Earth. Inside is an array of strange plants and technologies but is unmistakably a science lab. Tools float around the lab and a large computer over looks everything in the lab. A giant man with a wavy blond hair looks at the events in Kentucky on the computer. He squints in anger. A young woman of the same size walks into the room through a door that opens and closes like its healing back together.

Woman: Alfet. I'm really sorry. How far does this set you back?

Alfet: ... I'm not sure. It should still work out like I planned Lerion.

Lerion: You really shouldn't let the council get you down, Alfet. This Pangea that you made it's the best world I've ever seen. The bio mechanics are ingenious.

Alfet: I'm proud of it to Lerion. It's just every day I try to get it back to normal. It's very depressing.

Lerion: You're doing this so well Alfet. These 'human' parasites that are destroying your crops are just a little evolutionary blip. I've heard about this from Oud.

Alfet: I know. Soon the humans will be dead and my plants can grow. The green can grow.

Next: Alec Holland meets the Maker. Plus the return of Swamp Thing!


	4. Issue 4- Green Earth Part 4

**The Saga of Swamp Thing Issue 4 **  
><span><strong>By RoninReviews<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Austria<strong>

Abbie Arcane's huge wings made purely out of Rot energy slow her descent till she eventually hits the murky ground outside the Arcane Castle. She looks up at the huge looming archaic castle above her. Its ominous nature sends a shudder up her back like it did the first time laid eyes on it when she was a girl. Even now with her position as the Avatar of The Rot the place still spooks her. A place with such a history steeped so far in murder and death. Its walls have known blood.

It loves her and it is a monument to the Rot and Abbie Arcane, their warrior queen. She enters through the great iron doors and into the dark halls. Swiftly she makes her way into the main hall which to her surprise is covered in plant life. She goes to pick a flower growing out of the floor only for it to turn to dust in her hands.

?: Not really a big fan of you, are they sweetie? But then again I'm not sure what they want any more. I only know what they tell me, and boy is it a sweet gig.

Abbie turns to see Arcane's huge zombie/ Frankenstein monster sitting sideways on a throne at the top of a stairway. Plants are growing all around him, and some are growing out of the seams in his stitches.

Abbie: Any suggestions who your new employers are Arcane? What would the Green want with a someone with such deep ties to the Rot as yourself.

Arcane: The Green is out of the picture Abbie dear, there is only The Creators now.

Abbie: Where can I get in touch?

Arcane gets off his throne and swaggers down the stairs towards Abbie.

Arcane: Shed yourself entirely from the Rot and sacrifice yourself to them.

Abbie: What about Alec? Why wasn't he put into this little program?

Arcane: Because he is weak and Swamp Thing is strong. Alec wasn't needed and neither were the old fools that call themselves the Parliament of Trees.

Abbie: I'm still not fully convinced Uncle. Could I talk to these Creators?

Arcane: Hmm... I'll have to talk to them. You could definitely be a resourceful ally.

Abbie: Thanks Uncle Anton!

Arcane: You're certainly welcome my dearest.

Abbie (turns to leave): I'll see you round! Bye.

Arcane: Not so fast my dear.

Suddenly a vine reaches out from the walls of the castle, latches onto Abbie and drags her to the floor. She squirms to escape but it's no use.

Arcane: You come in here all flirtatious and interested in joining the cause. How sickening. The Rot has turned became a rather pitiful operation if that's your best effort to weasel your way into defeating us.

Abbie: This, urgh, isn't for The Rot! You old fool! This is for Alec, and to stop your new brand of madness. Urgh! Same ~*&, different day Uncle.

The vine pulls Abbie upwards and Arcane slaps her across the face.

Arcane: Stupid ~%$.

She smirks. Abbie flexes her muscles and tears her way out of the grasp of the vine, her wings out stretched. She drops to the ground and fires a blast of Decay energy at Arcane. Drawing on the immense Rot capabilities of the castle she summons a great storm of Rot energy tearing Arcane apart. She has one of her Rot tendrils grasp him up off the ground and has him brought over to her.

Arcane: You ~ ^%! You can't stop us! We are the Guardians of the Green! The Creator will raise the Earth.

Abbie: Big talk.

Abbie grabs Arcane's head and using her Dissension abilities she melds with Arcane's mind. After traversing his psychic plane for a couple of minutes she exits the rancid mindscape and shudders.

Abbie: The Moon. They're on the moon.

It's been a week since the death of Swamp Thing. Plants all over the world have gone mad. I can still hear The Green, all the plants howling in insanity and sadness; sad for the loss of their precious guardian and howling in anger. Two Guardians remain. Swamp Thing died in the battle with the JLA, who have been taken out of the game for now. With Earth's mightiest protectors hospitalized, the other heroes have been left to pick up the slack. The plant attacks are daily now.

London was the biggest done by Arcane, the monstrous zombie version of Anton, but really how can you tell the difference? Me, Anton, Pamela Isley and Dr. Jason Wood-Rue have banded together to find away to beat these Guardians Of The Green, false protectors, twisting the desires of the Green and turning them into war mongers.

Together we managed to take down Poison Ivy, Pamela Isley's evil double but Wood-rue and Arcane are doing a fair job of screwing up Earth, retarding the entire ecosystem. Arcane is now channeling The Rot to his bidding. Most places are clear of the attacks but weekly on the news we hear about another city being taken off the map or made into an Urban Jungle, literally.

Africa is now one of the richest places on the planet, where other places are dying from the lack of plant life. Someone is pulling at the seams of the Green and it's close to busting. All we can do now is sit back in the Swamp where this entire mess began and use me as a crash dummy for the most pungent lawn cover ever.

Alec Holland bursts out of the large tent, his body is on fire as he streaks across the swamp, a green mass is growing and lurching all over his body. He shrieks and yells as he tries to put the flames out but nothing works. He makes a B line towards the murky waters of the swamp lake. The calm water looks like black treacle under the darker night sky. He leaps and plunges deep into the dank waters, the green mass lurching and growing more furiously than ever now. He tosses and yells as the green consumes him as he drowns in the thick water.

He wakes up back in the tent surrounded by Dr. Jason Wood-Rue Pamela Isley and Anton Arcane. The large tent is filled with scientific equipment and plants growing under different lights in incubators. There is a small desk in the middle with piles of paper on it. Alec is lying on a small bed covered in bandages even after having his fire proof suit taken off of him.

He looks at his hands which are covered in a green rash. On his other hand he sees he's been hooked up to some surgical tubing that is pumping a green fluid into him. It seems to be the plant growth formula.

Alec: Guessing that didn't work. Why am I being pumped with the formula?

Anton: The Origin test failed and we're seeing if you managed to tap into the green any more by seeing if the formula is becoming sensitized inside your blood stream and seems to be coming out in that rash. It seems more and more the only way to stop this is to kill you and douse your body in the formula.

Alec: Glad to know you still have feelings for me Arcane.

Anton: I still want to kill you Holland and burn the Green to the ground but it seems now you're helping me do both.

Alec: Hah.

Pamela Isley is looking through a micro scope at the Plant Growth Formula when she starts noticing an abnormal growth in a small cluster of microbes. She watches as they multiply and bubble away on the sub atomic level until they start to form a word.

Pamela: You guys may want to see this.  
>Anton, Alec and Jason Wood-Rue walk over to Pamela's work station coffee table. Anton sticks his eye in the microscope. The microbes read out the word "Holland" the microbes re arrange and turn into the words "Are you there?" Shocked Anton turns to Alec.

Anton: Uhh, it's for you Holland.

Alec: For me?

Anton: Um yes.

Alec: Ok...

Alec goes over to the Microscope and reads the microbes.

Alec: Uh yes. I'm here. Who is this?

The microbes rearrange again.

Microbes: The Parliament of Trees.

Alec: Oh finally. I was wondering when you guys would show up. Can you turn me back into Swamp Thing? What's causing all of this?

Parliament: No... we don't know... but the fact that... we can't control the Green... anymore means there is... an outside source... causing all of this... we almost completely... powerless.

Alec: We need to start thinking of names. Who could possibly take over the Green?

Parliament: ...It is said... that the Green isn't Earth born... the Green was made...

Alec: Why would they do this?

Parliament: ... Why do you think... Pollution, Green House Gasses... deforest station, burning fossil fuels... before this we fought the urge... to do what is now happening... the Green is torn... many of us feel this is... necessary... a full cleansing...

Alec: I was the last Guardian of the Green it's my responsibility to stop this. You need to give me something.

Parliament:... the Red... The Rot... reach out to them... they're apparently... unaffected by this...

Alec: Ok. But there must be some way to sort this out. Even if we find Wood-Rue and Arcane that doesn't mean we'll be able to find out who did this or return your power.

Parliament: Reconnect...

Alec: Reconnect? With what? The Green? Hello?

After waiting a few minutes Alec steps away from the microscope.

Alec: I don't think they're coming back.

Anton: I'm guessing that was the Parliament.

Alec: I'm guessing their last line of power has been drawn out. They suggested trying to contact Animal Man or Abbie Arcane. They could be helpful.

Anton: It's worth a shot.

Alec: Alright then.

Pamela: Here's a thought. If Arcane and Wood-Rue can easily find us why haven't they found us yet? Why haven't they killed us yet?

Alec: Hmm... The only reason I could suggest is that I'm still recognised as royalty in the Green.

Pamela: That shows that these Arcane and Wood-Rue still play by the rules of the Green. Whoever is controlling the Green still have to work in the confines of the Green's abilities. What're the rules of the Green?

Alec: Uh I'm not sure. There's always got to be an Avatar, The Parliament have supreme power, grow, expand.

Pamela: And what happens to Avatars when they die?

Alec: They die, I suppose.

Pamela: Did I ever tell you about the time I talked with a Red Wood? Fascinating old bastard, he'd been around for centuries and he's seen plenty of Avatars come and go over the years. Lonely old guy, in exchange for my company he told me great secrets of the Green one of them being that when Avatars die they don't just Rot away or go to heaven or whatever but they go to a special Avatar purgatory, full of all the Avatars of old. So if the laws of the Green are still in place that means that Swamp Thing is potentially in the Green somewhere, all we need to do is make connection.

**The Green**

Swamp Thing lies looking up at the forever blue sky. He's lain there for so long he's fused with the soil, his roots delving deep into the ever fertile earth. This is the Green World, this is where all Green life is governed and controlled. This is where dead Avatars go. This is where Swamp Thing now lives. A boot thumps into his head startling him awake.

He turns to see a short elfin avatar looking down at him. His face is big and rounded with pointy features, his hair is like that of sun flower leaves covering his entire head. His skin has the look of an overly ripe date. Small clusters of moss grow around his arm and torso.  
>Small Avatar: Ere, get up. Your 2 minutes are up! You're hogging the Green.<p>

Swamp Thing gets up from his patch of Green tearing out his roots as he goes. The elfish Avatar instantly jumps down onto the patch. Looking around him he sees the barren wasteland the Green has been turned to. Rivers that once ran with fresh water are now dry as a desert, the grass has browned, the huge flowers wilt and the trees crumble due to the lack of hydration. Behind him is a huge queue of Avatars all waiting to root into the final patches of Green and look up at the small patch of blue sky which is now covered with a dark brown hue.

The Guardians of the Green have pulled at the strings of the web of the Green too much and it's snapped, leaving the Green a barren waste land and hundreds of Avatars to drown in Rot. Those not in the queue for the patch of Green are helping with the building of mines, digging deep into the centre of the Green world looking for any remaining sources of viable soil.

Swamp Thing walks through the wasteland of the Green, the grass crunching under his feet. It is said that it will start to snow soon and then they'll all be done for although many of them realised that they were done for when he arrived. A rotten tomato hits him across the face. He looks over to see a two headed avatar made mostly out of large leaves with a stocky frame and a large primordial looking one made mostly out of moss and mud with a few vines holding everything together. The two headed one steps forward.

Two Heads: Wanker! Didn't do that good of a job did ya! 'Ad to go an get cher self killed eyh? Bloody bastard and now look at us!  
>Swamp Thing keeps on moving with the other avatars hurling abuse at him as he goes. He makes his way down to the dry lake and sits down at the bank looking over the dusty banks of the river. He hears a light murmur and turns around to see if there is anyone there. Seeing he is alone he turns back to his resting when he hears the murmur again. Louder this time, he looks around again when the murmur comes in again. It seems to be talking in his head, psychically.<p>

Voice: Alec. Alec are you there?

Swamp Thing: A-Abbie?

Abbie: Yes Alec it's me. Where are you?

Swamp Thing: Somewhere inside the Green. I was possessed by something and was forced to destroy cities and attack the Justice League. I was killed during the battle at the Watchtower and now I'm in this purgatory place full of dead Avatars and all plant life is dying. How was your day?

Abbie: For a walking vegetable you've got a pretty good sense of humour.

Swamp Thing: I try. How are you contacting me?

Abbie: We've got a psychic link Alec. We always have. I've found where the Creators are controlling the Guardians of the Green from.

Swamp Thing: Oh uh good.

Abbie: We're going to re ignite the Green and get you out of there.

Swamp Thing: No Abbie. Don't bother. Re ignite the Green but this is my place now.

Abbie: What are you talking about Alec. Your place is here on Earth.

Swamp Thing: I'm not Abbie, I'm an Avatar of the Green. I'm a skin Alec wore. There isn't any place for me there. Alec has to lead his own life and I need to end mine.

**Louisiana, The Swamp**

Alec wakes up again in the bed in the tent covered in bandages. Another unsuccessful attempt to help him reconnect with the Green. Pamela and Dr. Jason Wood-Rue are outside collecting ingredients, Anton is sitting reading a book.

Alec: Uh Anton. I'm awake again.

Anton: Yeah, just go back to sleep. It's the best way to let the formula congeal in your blood stream.

Alec: Yeah, I'm just dehydrated. Could you grab me some water?

Anton (Gets up): Y'know, I miss the days when we fought each other as giant scary looking monsters and stuff.

Alec: I think it's funnier that I spend my entire adult life dreaming of seeing the world through the eyes of plants, when I get that I spend all my time trying to get away from it, and now that I'm back I've got to go right back to it. I've had multiple identity crisis at once over the course of my adult life.  
>Anton shoves the glass of water in Alec's hands.<p>

Anton: Alright, stop that self philosophizing.

Alec: Can't help it. My philosophy major isn't just gonna sit there and do nothing. Can't let Mr. Horticulture and Mrs. Botany have all the fun.

Anton goes back to his desk to his book only to see the dismembered head of his evil zombie counterpart lying on his desk and his Niece standing over the desk.

Anton: Bloody hell! Abbie. What're you doing here?

Abbie: Pack up all the lawn cover you got Uncle. We've got a god to kill.

* * *

><p><span><strong>Next: The grand finale to the opening arc of The Saga of Swamp Thing as Alec, Dr. Jason Wood-Rue, Pamela Isley, Anton Arcane and Abbie Arcane confront the Creators once and for all, on the MOOOOOON.<strong>


	5. Issue 5- Green Earth Part 5

**The Saga of Swamp Thing Issue 5 By RoninReviews**

**Previously in- The Saga of Swamp Thing:**

There is a mysterious force controlling the Green and those connected to the Green like Swamp Thing, Arcane, Ivy and Wood-Rue have been torn from their host bodies and set about on a rampage creating new life and destroying old life, tearing at the strings of the Green till it breaks. They call themselves the Guardians of the Green.

They're out to destroy the Green and all Human life in one fell sweep. Alec Holland has teamed up with the others who have lost their bodies such as Pamela Isley, Anton Arcane and Dr. Jason Wood-Rue to make a plan of attack to destroy the Guardians of the Green. They attacked the JLA and managed to incapacitate them allowing their reign of Green to ensue but Swamp Thing was killed in the process.

Ivy was killed by Pamela Isley and the others, leaving only Arcane and Wood-Rue. Abbie Arcane found that the Green is being controlled by beings on the moon, by killing Anton and reading his Rotting subconscious. She's met up with Alec and his allies and knows how to save the world.

Cadmus labs 

Dr Leo Quintum sits in his lab watching a group of plant matter under a Star Level Microscope. From his analysis since the plant attacks the natural Plant behavior of reaching for light, earth and water has changed rapidly. Their primary function cells have either died out or became docile. Many plants have stopped producing nutrients and fruits.

Most of their colors have faded but haven't completely died or gone into hibernation like in winter. They're in a kind of coma only to be awoken when needed by their animators. Leo Quintum's results for trying to reboot their neurons but to no avail, their behaviors are still abnormal. Suddenly, behind him he hears a low sifting sound. He turns to see a dark whirlwind of black and grey particles spinning, growing larger with each rotation.

Within a second the whirlwind is the size of the room and out steps Abbie Arcane. The dark energy seems to be following her right hand as it seeps from it. Following her is Anton Arcane, Pamela Isley, Dr. Jason Wood-rue and Alec Holland.

Leo: Uh... can I help you?

Alec: We need you to replicate this.

Alec hands Leo a canister of the Bio Restorative Formula.

Alec: This is what made me into Swamp Thing; we need you to make a whole lot of Swamp Thing.

Leo: If you haven't noticed, we're in no shortness of plant life right now, in fact; that's the problem.

Alec: We know where to hit. And we're going to need a lot of this.

The Moon

A large egg shaped building with metallic foundations overlooks the Earth. Inside is an array of strange plants and technologies but is unmistakably a science lab. Tools float around the lab and a large computer over looks everything in the lab. Alfet moves through the lab. His final trimester of the rebooting of the Green has completed and it is only a matter of time for the humans to die out.

There is no way for them to sustain their plant life, The Green has been broken. The planet will soon enter a full scale hibernation stage in which all life is brought back to the dark ages and will have to reboot. Alfet plan has come to fruition. It has all fallen perfectly into place. Lerion, his wife, lies opposite him across a synthetic sofa, a huge machine hovers about her as she looks upwards into the eye sockets of the machine.

It looks sort of like a microscope. A few roots and vines seem to be growing out of the machine. This is her way of looking into the Green. She looks down at the now barren landscape the Green has become. The old avatars grow thin and weak under the clouded sky and in the dead plant life.

Lerion: Should we get rid of these "avatars"? There is really no purpose in keeping them around anymore. The only reason we have to keep them is in case our first attempt didn't work and we construed it in some way in which plant life could never grow on Earth and we didn't. The only way forward right now is the complete reboot of the planet's eco system. Thus should we kill the avatars?

Alfet: Yeah. Sure... any ideas?

Lerion: We control the "Rot" right?

Alfet: Unfortunately Arcane has fallen out of our disposal, for the time being. I could have him reboot himself in The Green and have him destroy it from the inside. We'll have to boost the Rot energy being disclosed though.

Lerion: You let Arcane be killed?

Alfet: There is no worry. He was killed after the plan passed the final trimester.

Lerion: Who killed him?

Alfet: I'll look into it. Listen, darling, shouldn't we be celebrating? We've managed to start the eco system reboot. This has never actually been done successfully before. Do you want me to open that bottle of Wyithe and make love outside?

Lerion: Find who killed our operative. We've lost 3 already and I'm not sure where we'll be able to get more.

The Green 

The once luxurious world of life and beauty has turned to a barren wasteland where nothing can grow. The old Avatars of the Green wander the barren planes wasting away to nothing. Swamp Thing has recently been contacted by Abbie Arcane telling him they've found a way to restart the Green and take it from the Creators. She says there is a way to help Swamp Thing out of the Green of which he is currently stranded.

Swamp Thing looks over to the queue of Avatars waiting in line to root down into the last patch of fertile soil and look up at the last patch of sun beaming through the dark foggy clouds. Suddenly he hears shouts of anger and dismay as he turns to see the last patch has darkened and the clouds have closed up the last strand of sun light.

Swamp Thing feels the low burning agony again now, thicker like a lump of tar in his belly. His body aches and it hurts for him to move. The Avatars cry in anger and they begin to bellow at the sky as a strike of black lightening crackles from the Sky. A large dust cloud erupts from the bolt and a figure begins to emerge. Hunched over, tall and broad out of the haze walks Arcane; his disfigured face breaks into a smile as he looks over the terrified faces of the once mighty Avatars.

The Rot has entered the Green. The Avatars turn to run but Arcane's arms open up and he shoots out disgusting veins wrapping a couple of fleeing avatars in them and crushing their weak bodies. His fingers extend to sharp blades as he begins to decapitate Avatars left and right.

He steps back from his slaughter to inhale his bloody work. He takes a box of matches out of his chest and lights a match and throws it to the ground starting a fire that grows quickly. Arcane grabs the decapitated head of an avatar and starts munching on their lettuce brains.

Arcane: Now... where is Holland.

?: I'm not Holland.

Arcane turns to see Swamp Thing holding a sharpened branch of a tree striking towards his chest. Swamp Thing impales Arcane and yells;

Swamp Thing: I AM SWAMP THING!

Approaching the Moon

Alec Holland, Pamela Isley, Anton Arcane, Dr. Jason Wood-Rue, Abbie Arcane and Dr. Leo Quintum approach the moon in the Cadmus space transporter called The Embryo. Dr. Quintum pilots the ship. The team sit around the ship, they're surrounded by bizarre plants and boxes of the Bio Restorative Formula all are holding special Plant weapons, guns that carry the Formula.

Quintum: Alec. We're almost there. Want to go over the plan?

Alec: Uh sure. So these creator guys have some deep roots in the Green. They could potentially be the ones who made the Green in the first place. They could be creatures of immeasurable power.

We don't know anything about them but we've got the equipment to tech to use their power against them. Our weapons fire a corrosive acid bonded with the Bio Restorative Formula that made me Swamp Thing in the first place.

We've got a missile filled with a gaseous version of the Formula attached to the ship which we'll hit their base with. They're destroyed the Green and we're going to take it back. Nothing can grow on the moon? They're going to have to call in an Autumn Harvest by the time we're done with it.

The Embryo hovers over the moon. The team put on their space suits and upholsters their weapons. The Formula Missile is fired and hits the Creators Egg shaped base with a brilliant flourish of life, green plants taking root, roses growing in the moon's craters, vines hanging from trees that burst into life mere seconds ago.

Inside the Moon Base

Alfet and Lerion hear the explosion.

Alfet: What was that?!

Lerion: We've just been hit by some sort of primitive ballistic device. The explosion has given off a sort of gas that is growing life all over The Green House.

Alfet: How did they get this close?

Lerion: They've cloaked their ship because of the vast amount of Green energy inside it.

Alfet: They've manufactured Green energy?

Lerion: Seems like it. I'm releasing the Defensive Holograms. That should take care of them. Who the hell could do something like this?

Outside

Doors to the Embryo open and the team jump out lead by Abbie Arcane, their jet packs helping to slow their descent. Alec is about to jump after them when Leo Quintum calls for him.

Quintum: Alec. I almost forgot to mention. I've whipped these up for you.

Quintum hands Alec a pair of green Cadmus Lab Gauntlets.

Quintum: I figured you could use something more, suitable.

Alec: Wow, thanks.

Alec puts them on.

Alec: How do they work?

Quintum: Just think green thoughts.

The Green

Arcane is bearing down upon Swamp Thing's frail form as his seems to grow and fluctuate through the amounts of Rot energy being pumped into him. He pulls Swamp Thing's spear from his chest and snaps it in two.

Arcane: Poor little Swamp Thing. You've nowhere to go. Now you're going to die with all these other poor sods. Who did that whole Warrior King Prophecy turn out anyway?

Swamp Thing: You're right, Arcane. I've nothing left to live for. You may as well kill me now, but I'm not going down without a fight.

Swamp Thing leaps at Arcane only to get swatted down. Swamp Thing gets up again and hits Arcane across the face twice before being stabbed in the chest by one of Arcane's blade like finer nails. Arcane then pulls Swamp Things arms off a then bites his head off and spits it out.

Arcane: I'll be back for you later. Have fun wishing you were dead.

The Moon

Alec thinks of the days on the bayou, lying in Lousiana Sun, his roots burying down into the soft earth. He thinks of Abbie's white hair tangled in his mossy skin, her fingers delicately making a daisy chain using his shoulder. The gauntlet lights up and a flourish of plant life burst from the gauntlets. Vines, roses, marigolds, ferns and vines all ready to do his bidding.

The Green

Swamp Thing Narration: My body is strewn across the planes. There are pieces here and there, with each one drifting in the artificial wind. I can see everything; my pores watch as Arcane rampages through the Green, destroying everything is his sight. Smashing and destroying, eating and maiming. I feel like I'm filled with pins all sinking deeper into every pore.

My stomata shrieks and cries. I reach out, trying to feel my body, trying to re grow. No use, it's like trying to sculpt the statue of David blind. When suddenly I feel something, a spike at first but it grows coming faster and faster through the green, my eye opens to see a tiny ray of sunshine. I suddenly feel lifted, like never before, brought up from the ground, it's all around me now, holding me gently, filling me with energy.

The Green its back, only a strike but potent and strong! My limbs are healing, growing, pulling from the soil and the ground and the water. My arms bursts back into life, all over my body, its growing back, I grow strong. I grow with purpose. I stand tall and my arms contort into powerful weapons. You will pay, Arcane. Still ...where could this power have come from?

The Moon

Alec smirks at Quintum and then leaps out of the transporter. He flexes his arms and vines burst out of the moons and reach up and carry Holland gently to the ground. He looks up to see his allies battling holographic beings made of light. Huge tall automated defences with a small green device in the middle of their chest that seems to be giving them form. With a gesture the matter around them seems to explode. The Formula seems to dash against their bodies to no affect. Even Abbie's Rot energy has no affect on them.

Anton: Any more bright ideas, Holland? This is suicide.

Alec: Only if you say it is, Anton.

Alec rushes the nearest Hologram being and shoots vines up at it. The vines grasp hold of the device on its chest and pulls. The device holds fast but Alec's vines pull harder taking Anchorage into the Moon's barren soil. The device seems to let, crackling away, buzzing with energy. With a mighty pull Alec pulls the device away and the hologram creature pops away with a rattle of energy. The vines grasp the device and attach it to Alec's chest filling him with more green energy.

Alec: C'mon then.

Alec turns to rush to his allies to fight the other Green Holograms when he suddenly feels a sharp coldness in his chest, he looks to his hands to see them stained with blood, he looks down at his chest where there is a large gaping hole, his innards slowly falling out. He starts shaking as with his last breath he turns to see Lerion and Alfet standing at the door to The Green House, Alfet's hand is smoking and glows Green.

Alfet: Get the hell away from my lab.

**Next Issue: As God has created man, man will make himself God.**


	6. Issue 6- Green Earth Part 6

**Swamp Thing Issue 6**

**Finale of Green Earth**

**By RoninReviews**

* * *

><p>Previously: Gods who created life on Earth have returned to raise the world and start it all again to get rid of the human parasites. Tapping into the Green they found 4 avatars of which to do their bidding with, Swamp Thing, Wood-Rue, Arcane and Ivy. Using them as their avatars they set about using them to remake the world in their image.<p>

Alec Holland banded together with Pamela Isley, Dr. Jason Wood-Rue and Anton Arcane to stop the rogue avatars, calling themselves the Guardians of the Green, before they destroy all human life. Abbie Arcane, current avatar of the Rot managed to find the location of the Gods and approached Alec and his allies to stop them. They got help from Dr. Leo Quintum from Cadmus labs to stop the Gods on the moon. At the end of last issue Alec and his allies attacked the God's moon base only for Alec to be shot down during the attack.

3 Billion Years Ago, Tet-Alpha 3.4

The world of Tet-Alpha is one of incredible beauty. Throughout the technological and natural wonder land with fascinating architecture and floating buildings stand massive transparent trees that course with Green energy. Tet-Alpha is the home of the green where supreme scientists work hard to produce new forms of life and creäture every day.

The people of Tet-Alpha are all white skinned giants with extended craniums and long leathery fingers, each have prominent green veins, their race has evolved to be able to control the Green, as they grow like plants from the huge trees called Salutaris Trees. Alfet peacefully opens his eyes as he does every day, to see the sight of his naked Seed Gamete, Lerion floating in their sap cocoons.

She floats her hair floating away above her hair taking root into two Phloem and Xylem tubes, taking in sugars and liquids. Alfet detaches his beard from his Phloem and Xylem tubes that are attached to his beard and reaches out to Lerion. He places his hand on her shoulder, awakening her at once. She opens her eyes almost as his hand reaches her. She opens her large eyes and smiles at her destined mate.

"Awake already? You are like a sapling." Lerion asks jokingly.

"Can you blame me? I am excited. My neurones are buzzing." Alfet says excitedly, as he beams at his wife

" Yes, yes. The start of your new project-" Lerion says before she is interrupted.

"No, the start of our new project." As Alfet says this he reaches for Lerion's hand and feels her soft palm in his. Lerion smiles back at him, slightly embarrassed.

"This is your work that has been put into this my dear, not mine."

"You're not getting out of this that easily." Alfet swims through the sea of murky green sap to Lerion as he grabs her and they embrace spinning through the sap, their naked bodies in free fall. Their lips locked in slow motion. Lerion eventually pulls away.

"Alfet!"

"My pollen dream, I couldn't be any more in love with you than I am now. Lets go become Gods."

And with that the murky green sap cocoon turns to water and seeps into the ground. The two land on their feet on the floor of their home in an immaculate room. Bizarre plants of all shapes and size grow around the room. The walls are like that of a honeycomb pattern with the walls producing all the plant life taking it in and producing it. Thin spreads of material are flung out of the walls as they attach themselves to Alfet and Lerion's bodies creating prestigious looking robes with their house names on them.

Lerion snaps her fingers and out of the floor springs a computer looking panel covered in holograms. She taps in a couple of commands as Alfet springs to life their breakfast. He reaches out his hands and the walls part to reveal their 3 orange suns in the sky, the radiation pours down on them rejuvenating their skin, making their veins all the more prominent. Small plants grow from Alfet's fingers that reach out into the sun light. The rays drip down from the heavens filling their bodies with raw energy and power. Alfet turns to Lerion.

"Heh... hheeh... are we ready?" He pants, catching his breath from his meal.

Lerion replies "Indeed we are."

And with that their bodies turn into piles of red glowing vines that fall into the floor and are gone.

5 Minutes ago- The Green

Arcane plunders through the Green tearing the ex Avatars to pieces' as he goes. He sits down in a pile of dismembered corpses to rest.

"I haven't had such a fun massacre since 1941. This is just what I needed." He says as he lays back onto the pile. He suddenly hears a low murmur from below him. He looks down to see a small sunflower faced Avatar looking up at him. The Avatar's swollen eyes and bloodied face peeks up at the giant disgusting mass of raw power.

"He's—he- he's gonna c-come back, y'know."

"Hahaha well aren't you just precious?"

Arcane reaches down and picks the head off the avatar like picking a rose.

"If he comes back I'll just kill him again."

"Y-you can't... he'll kill you first. Th-th-thats the thing ab-about the ... Green, it-always comes back, stronger."

"Mhm" Arcane's unhinges his jaw like a snake, and is about to eat the Sunflower Avatar when he suddenly hears a tectonic rumbling. With that the ground opens up and a huge hand reaches out of the ground and hold Anton high up in the air causing him to drop the Sunflower avatar. Now about 20 feet high Arcane looks down upon the Green.

Struggling to get free he looks up to see a huge Green figure approaching him. Swamp Thing swoops down onto the hands knuckles as it slowly crushes, Arcane, Swamp Thing's huge wings glinting in the newly risen Green sun.

"I'm sure there's some sort of hands free joke here somewhere."

"Holland's shell, has returned I see. Where ever you've stolen this slice of Green from my master's will have it take right the hell back, do you hear me?" Arcane spits, his face contorted in rage.

"Are you done?" Swamp Thing asks in his new booming voice

"You little-"

The next thing Arcane is aware of is his head being pulled from his body, spine and all.

"You don't belong here Arcane, and neither do your masters. Tell them they don't own us or the Green."

Swamp Thing raises his hands in air as he looks over the huge expanses of the green, he looks over the gritty dark land of ash and pain. It needs to be wiped clean, started a new. You aren't Swamp Thing, you aren't Alec Holland. You are Canticum-in-Terra, you will create a new Eden and all will behold your glory.

Now, Earth's Moon

Alec Holland lies on the cold ground of the moon as his innards tumble out of his chest, vines and roots attempt to fill the hole in his chest, trying desperately to help him keep his form. He over hears the battle between the others and the Green holograms. Pamela screams as one of the Holograms grabs her by the neck, one of them blasts Anton's space suit causing it to rupture, Dr. Jason Wood-rue has his head smashed into pieces as his broken helmet smacks the ground.

Abbie Arcane tries her hardest to hold them back but they're relentless. The vines get in place and manage to hold Alec's chest together but its only just enough. He scrambles to his feet looking up he sees Lerion reaching for him. She picks him up by his neck and looks him dead in the eye.

"This one, I think I've seen this one before."

"Aye, he was the body that Avatar took before becoming the Avatar."

"Meaningless flesh and now you march upon our doors like you mean something? Like you matter."

Alec splutters for air to his lack of lungs, he tries to move but it is useless, he begins to black out. Lerion continues,

"You're a parasite and the Green has been perverted to suit your needs? Used to serve creatures of consumption. Disgusting, creatures of consumption only do one thing! Consume. Chomping with teeth and hands and tongs at pieces of other consumers or worse producers. You've ruined everything little parasite."

Alfet intervenes. "Let him go Lerion. There's no point getting angry now. Take his gauntlets, let him die."

Lerion takes off Alec's helmet and spits in his eyes, her acidic saliva blinds him upon impact, she lets him go and he slowly begins to float into space. Lerion turns to Alfet.

"Alfet, I apologise. I know this has been tough for you. Go back inside and I'll finish off the rest."

Alfet looks into his pollonic partner's eyes breaks down.

"Why did this have to happen? Why did it have to go so wrong?"

Lerion cradles him in her arms.

"Don't worry, it'll all be over soon."

Lerion turns in shock to see who said that only to see a huge wooden spear charging towards her. It stabs through her chest, her green blood trickles out of her mouth as she splutters Alfet's name one last time. As Alfet feels her hands go dead around him he quickly looks around to see Swamp Thing holding his spiked arm out with Lerion's blood dripping from it.

"Aaaaaaaaaarrrrggghh!" Alfet screams as he runs at Swamp Thing, his hands glow a powerful green glow again and he blasts Swamp Thing's shoulder off and then his arm only for Swamp Thing to re grow them instantly.

"It's over Alfet."

"No! No! You where my puppet! You can't do this! I'm the scientist, I am God! I created you! I created you all you worms!"

Swamp Thing grabs Alfet by his neck and lifts him into the air. Alfet's eyes begin to bleed with all the Green power he is trying to exert. Swamp Thing walks into The Green House and over to a pool of Green glowing liquid.

"End me fast. Please." Alfet pleads. Swamp Thing looks him in the eye with an iron coldness about him.

"No." He murmurs before plunging Alfet's head into the green liquid, slowly drowning him. With that the green holograms lose power and their controlling devices fall to the ground harmlessly. Vines reach out of the Green House and pulls Dr. Wood-rue, Anton Arcane, Abbie Arcane, Pamela Isley and Alec Holland's corpse inside and seals the door. Abbie Arcane gets up and walks over to Swamp Thing who is still standing over the pool of Green liquid with Alfet's body inside. She kisses him on the cheek.

"You did the right thing Alec. This isn't your fault."

"I am not Holland. Leave me." He replies in his deep tones.

Abbie reverts to her human form and begins to care for unconscious Pamela Isley and Anton Arcane and check for signs of life on Dr. Wood-rue. She doesn't touch Alec. Swamp Thing eventually walks over and picks up Alec's body and makes his way through the Green House. He comes to the Sap Cocoon where Lerion and Alfet sleep. He places the body of Alec inside the Cocoon and then enters himself. They suddenly enter the Green.

The Green

Alec Holland rises from the Earth of the Green and is helped up by Swamp Thing.

"Oh great." Alec groans. "Why can't I just die?"

"Tell me about it but we can't leave the Green like this."

"In this state?"

"Yes. It needs to be fixed and I need your help."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Fix the Green on the inside. I will fix the Green on the outside."

"You want me to fix this Green?"

"And I will fix the Earth."

"Uhh why can't I fix the Earth? I'm actually from there y'know. I think everyone seems to forget that."

"You can't. You have no body."

"Oh yeah. I died."

"I need someone to fix the Green."

"Yeah ok. I don't really know how... though."

"You will find allies."

"Yeah?"

"Old Avatars will train you to fix the Green."

"You don't really speak like a person do you?"

"I am not a person."

"Oh right I though you where me."

"I only used your mind as a point of reference."

"Oh so you're the real Swamp Thing."

"Yes."

"Do you have a name?"

"I only came up with it recently. Canticum-in-Terra."

"Song of Earth."

"In Latin, yes."

"That's surprisingly... artistic for a plant. Um how did you return because you uh, died."

"I was floating in space after the attack on the Justice League's Watch Tower. After I died Alfet and Lerion's clutch on me was released allowing me to reach out into the Green to try to find a place of re growth.

I found their moon base called the Green House. I had to grow in secret there as I attempted to re-grow my body but I was still blocked off from my use of the Green, except I was able to travel into the Green but not use it. That was until you powered up those Green Gauntlet's allowing me use the Green again."

"That makes sense...kind of. So what happens next?"

"We get to work."

* * *

><p><strong>The End of Green Earth.<strong>

**Next: That's the end of that thrilling first arc of Swamp Thing as next issue we see the repercussions of the Green's attacks on Earth and the Green and how Alec and Canticum will fix them. The world knows about the Green, and Amanda Waller isn't happy about it. Abbie Arcane struggles with her dual lives as Avatar of the Rot and Human life and what's up with that wolf. All this and more in the next issue of Swamp Thing and saddle up for the next arc, Battle Field: Louisiana.**

**A few things coming up in the future:**

**Constantine**

**Meeting the Folks**

**Wasteland**

**The Hole**

**Flames on the Bayou**

**The Extinct**

**Texas- The centre of Jerusalem**

**Animal Man**

**Swamp Thing: Justice League**

**Kryptonian Avatar**


	7. Issue 7- The Falling Leaves

**The Sage of Swamp Thing**

**The Falling Leaves**

**Issue 7 by RoninReviews**

* * *

><p>Today, as I rode by,<p>

I saw the brown leaves dropping from their tree

In a still afternoon,

When no wind whirled them whistling to the sky,

But thickly, silently,

They fell, like snowflakes wiping out the noon;

And wandered slowly thence

For thinking of a gallant multitude

Which now all withering lay,

Slain by no wind of age or pestilence,

But in their beauty strewed

Like snowflakes falling on the Flemish clay.

_Falling Leaves by Margaret Postgate Cole_

* * *

><p><strong>1893- 1980<strong>

**The Green**

Alec's stick touches upon the crisp dead grass every now and again splitting upon a pile of dismembered Avatar remains.

After Lerion and Alfet created the first forms of plant life on Earth, as a science experiment, they allowed the small planet to join a vast and impressive system known as The Green. It possesses many different names, but it all does the same thing; create and protect plant life. In a coalition agreement with The force known as The Red- another elemental force derived from The Green- The Green will decide upon an avatar of Red origin to use to powers of The Green and do the Green's bidding. In return The Green allows The Red's subjects to graze and feed upon the Green's produce; both are in unity against their common foe Rot, the force of death and decay that eventually will destroy both Green and Red, but for the time being there is a balance in these 3 forces.

That was until Lerion and Alfet returned taking Avatars from both The Green and Rot the two forces they had the best control over and used them to destroy the anchoring elemental force of Earth, the Green, in order to kill off the Human parasites polluting their world in an attempt to start a new.

By having their Avatar's use vast amounts of their Green controlling powers they had them tear and pick at the Green till it fell apart, only for the presumed dead Swamp Thing to return to kill both Lerion and Alfet. Swamp Thing took Alec's dying mind and projected it into the Green allowing him a place to survive rather than dying.

Alec has grasps a small staff that he took from a dead tree, which he was pretty sure used to be an avatar, and uses it to help him walk. Alec stops to take in his surroundings. The sun has returned to the Green but the damage is still done. The grass is crisp and thin, crackling like Rice Crispies in milk as Alec marches with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Fix the Green; that was the only instructions given to him. Fix it? How? How do you control the Green? How do I learn? Where do I fix? A fusillade of question marks blurs his mind.

Alec slumps against a tree trying to get as much shade as possible. Taking in his surroundings he suddenly notices a small Sun Flower growing nearby him, facing away from him towards the sun. Curious, he reaches forward to touch it when he hears a small voice shout,

"Hey! Hands off, buster!"

Alec retracts his hand and swipes his head around trying to find the source of the voice.

"Wh- who was that?"

The sun flower slowly turns around from the sun to face Alec. The sun flower's face has a date like texture with the regular Swamp Thing face appearance.

"I'm tryin to get some beauty sleep if ya don't mind, buddy. Gotta keep this pretty boy complexion growin, y'know what I'm sayin?"

"Oh sorry for bothering you. Um, could you, uh..."

"What? What'd ya want?"

"I was just wondering, are you an Avatar of the Green?"

"I used to be, like you. That's how the Green works. You an avatar, you get either sacked from the job or kick the bucket an ye end up here for eternity my friend."

"Ok, uh... sure. Uh, is there anything I can do to help you?"

"Help me? Phew, well that's a relief. I was worried the fate of the Green was in trouble for a second there. Oh wait, sorry fella missed yer chance."

"Where are the Parliament?"

"Everyone in the gawd damn Green's been asking that every since those two god complexes decided to shake things up a bit and by a bit I mean a lot. Nudge nudge."

"Wait. I'm remembering something. The water! There used to be a stream running through here right? Where do I go to get that started again?"

The Sun Flower studies Alec's face for a couple of seconds.

"Hmm. You've got a 'can do' attitude, kiddo. Alright, let's take a crack at it, pal."

With that the Sun Flower grew two hands from the soil beside him and pulled his tiny body out of the ground. He hops up and dusts the dry dirt from himself and plucks the loose roots off of him. His body is tiny, about 2" 4 and made up mainly of leaf like materials. He plucks off a petal from his face and begins to nibble on it.

"Alright, let's get movin."

"Where are we going?"

"To the dried up lake, dumbass."

"Ok, just, it's my first day."

"Oh, cos I didn't realise that the second you decided to have a pick at me."

"Sorry about that. I'm Alec by the way." Alec reaches down with his hand out stretched. The Sun Flower looks at his pale skinny hand and eventually reaches out to reach out for it.

"I, uh, I can't really remember my real human name, but all my friends call me Sunny. Let's get going."

* * *

><p><strong>Louisiana, Swamps<strong>

Abbie Arcane leans against a tree pouring over the latest Stephen King novel, her right foot dipping slowly into the cool swamp pool. Her jeans are rolled up at the feet, her hair tied back and her breasts free as the cool summer wind.

The swamp's peaceful sounds calm Abbie to the point where she's completely in a state of engrossing bliss. The slow swaying of the moss ridden trees, the ribbit of far away frogs, the occasional fly buzzing through the air, all calm, all relaxed. That was until Reggie pulled out his iPod and speakers.

Mumford and Sons blares out of the speakers, disrupting everything. Abbie tries to hold her focus until she can't take it anymore. She puts her top back on and leaves her book by the side of the pool and marches off in a strop.

She comes to Reggie, Andrea, Michael and Jenny, botany students at Louisiana University being paid a little more than minimum wage by Abbie to guard the Swamp throughout the day. All of them are relaxing in some way, lying, and sitting or leaning in a circle listening to the burning fast Banjo playing, all are getting increasingly higher by the second, fumes all around them.

Abbie marches through the group of hippies, swamp water slopping across her feet and trousers now. She grabs the iPod and yanks it out of the speaker system. Reggie suddenly snaps out of his haze and looks up.

"Reggie! I'm paying you to keep watch over him, not sit here playing music as loud as possible and getting high!"

"I wh- Miss. Arcane. Hi. What's going on?"

"You're going to attract attention with this music playing, now get up! C'mon, get to your feet."

"We thought you'd gone out for a bit or whatever so we just decided to chill o-."

*Cough cough* "Would someone please put that joint out?! How is there so much smoke?"

"It's, uh... it's not us."

Reggie points upwards to a large cocoon like sack inside a massive flower just beside them. The sack is giving off mass amounts of green gasses from its pours. Abbie grabs her towel and wraps it around her mouth and nose to keep the smell out.

"Great, he's doing this again." Abbie storms.

"Yeah, so it wasn't our fault, see?"

"Urgh... so much for keeping this a secret."

Abbie looks up as the gasses are flowing out of the tree tops and out into the sky catching on the breeze and floating towards the nearby town. In the town people are beginning to see the green clouds drifting in.

* * *

><p><strong>Undisclosed Location, Government Facility<strong>

Amanda Waller pauses the video of the Louisiana swamps producing the gas and turns to a small board of directors sitting across the table from her. She stands stiff as a post, her hands behind her back.

"The gas was found to be almost completely made up of Carbon, Xylem, Phloem and water in large quantities that cannot be produced by regular photosynthetic plant cycles, especially at this time of year. Even if the swamp was able to produce this amount of gas, it still doesn't explain why it all seems to come from one source.

Thus, I give you the home of our man; the so called Swamp Thing a.k.a Alec Holland. This... thing was responsible for the recent world wide plant fiasco. We have learnt that the Swamp Thing was seen with various accomplices all of which have not been seen since the event."

The board of directors look at each other in a silent communication; a tall elderly man leans forwards and asks, "What do you suppose we do about this, Ms. Waller?"

"I suppose, General that we hunt them down and bring them in for crimes against humanity. Then we go for the Thing and let him feel the full force of The United States."

Louisiana, Cemetery

The Pastor reads out the sermon amongst the tombstones as the wind bristles through the air like a mangy dog. Watching as the casket slowly lowering into the coffin is Dr. Leo Quintum, brilliant scientist of Cadmus Labs, Pamela Isley, Super-criminal and Anton Arcane, Aristocratic murderer. Each aren't particularly interested in the ceremony but try to look upset enough. Anton sucks at a cigarette.

"-and that concludes the sermon. I would like to thank his family and loved ones-"

Anton Arcane quietly sniggers, to himself and the Pastor continues after the short interruption.

"-for being with us on this day. I know you said Mr. Wood-Rue wasn't a Christian man but I would wish him good tidings in his passing to the other land. Would anyone like to say any words to commemorate this day?"

"Uh, yes... I would," Leo Quintum steps forwards.

"My uh, Brother, Jason was a good man with a good heart. I uh, loved him... dearly? And uh yeah, it's a real shame he's been taken from us by, uh cancer, so yeah. I'm done."

"Thank you Mr. Wood-Rue." The Pastor concludes.

Louisiana, Cafe

The three of them crowd around a small table in the cafe trying to look inconspicuous.

"And Holland couldn't even be arsed to come. Typical." Anton quips.

"Don't be stupid Arcane, of course he couldn't come." Leo says.

"So what now? Are we fugitives? Have we lost our gifts?" Pamela asks.

"Until I get your new ID's sorted out you're both fugitives. I've managed to get a place for you to stay in Louisiana for the time being, but try and keep a low profile and don't do anything stupid."

"I don't care about being arrested, Quintum. I want to be able to talk to my babies again. This silence is driving me crazy." Pamela steams.

Anton explains, "You're gonna have to earn your way back into the Green's favour, Isley. That's how the Green works, but something tells me the Green's in a bit of a free for all at the moment. I'd say strike while the iron is hot and you should be able to return to your former glory. Me? I'm gonna have fun getting my comfy little seat in the Rot back."

"Why? What do you do to appease the Rot, Arcane?" Pamela asks.

"Murder and a lot of it." Anton smirks.

"No no no! You can't." Leo shouts.

"And why ever not, Quintum?"

"Because you'll be arrested, and I'll be found as an accomplice. I just want to go back to my job. I'm sick of all this crazy plant stuff."

"I'm not sticking around. I'm getting the first bus back to Gotham; I'm getting my powers back and me and Harley are going to tear it up."

[Continued in Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy- Deadpoolzilla!]

Pamela then gets up and marches out of the Cafe. Dr. Leo Quintum and Anton watch as she goes. Anton finishes the last of his coffee and quickly sifts his hands through his vibrant blonde hair. He sits back and looks at Dr. Leo Quintum with a mischievous smile on his face. He then reaches into his pocket and takes out a small switchblade. He taps the button and blade springs out of it.

"Don't follow me." He says slyly before getting up and leaving the cafe.

Leo Quintum sighs to himself as a group of SWAT jumps through the door and windows and arrests him for being an accomplice in murder, mass property damage and attempted genocide.

The Moon

Superman and Green Lantern, both fully recovered from the Watchtower battle, (Issue 2) float above the white rock and watch as vast amounts of plant life grow and live and then suddenly die on the harsh rocky surface of the Moon creating a fluxing forest of bizarre alien plant life.

"OK. This is really, really weird though." Green Lantern mutters.

"This is beautiful and majestic and also really weird yes." Superman replies.

"So Swamp Thing, fake name, killed the two people that did all the weird plant stuff and then just took their home and like absorbed it? And then he vanished and those other dudes like crapped off?"

"That's what Jon's report said."

"Is anyone investigating this?"

"I believe Captain Atom has been put on the case and apparently Waller has launched an investigation into it."

"Ok. So what're we doing here then?"

"Jon wanted me to take a look at this weird moon forest thing. I'm gonna head down there."

"And what am I doing here?"

"Shhh," Superman says.

He signals for Green Lantern to be quiet and listens closely. He seems to hear a very faint voice calling out in some weird other worldly language. It seems to be coming from the moon forest. Superman is suddenly interrupted when he hears a loud buzzing noise coming from his belt.

"Uh Supes, Justice League priority call. We'd better bounce."

Superman turns to leave with Green Lantern but turns and looks back at the moon forest suspiciously.

* * *

><p><strong>Next Issue: Battle Field Louisiana begins as Amanda Waller wants Swamp Thing's head for the world wide plant apocalypse he almost caused. Captain Atom wasn't particularly happy about that either. What is the Green Team and what do they mean for the fate of the Green? Alec continues to explore the Green. Explosions!<strong>


	8. Issue 8- Battlefield: Louisiana Part 1

**Swamp Thing Issue 8**

**Battlefield: Louisiana Part 1**

**By RoninReviews**

* * *

><p><strong>Justice League Watchtower:<strong>

The Justice League sits in the meeting room high above the Earth. At the table are Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Flash, The Martian Manhunter and Captain Atom. Amanda Waller walks into the room, The JL don't look particularly happy as she enters, and neither does she. She comes to the edge of the round table in between Batman and Wonder Woman she stands.

"What does a lady have to do to get a seat around here?"

"You can stand, Waller. Say what you're here to say and then get out." Superman declares.

Amanda looks down her nose at the heroes. "Let's just say the feelings mutual, Krypto-freak."

She places a small oval device on the table, which instantly lights up projecting a holographic screen into the air above them. We see images of the last month's worldwide plant-demic alongside images of Cadmus weapons and devices.

"As you all know, 3 months ago the Green House Effect took a whole new meaning as plants began to act nuts all over the world growing like Jungles on cocaine and becoming barren deserts in other places. It was a big inconvenience for us all as I'm sure you'll attest to. Many people saw it as nature re-setting the scales, eco justice in a way. Of course we don't buy that culty bull so we did some digging. Apparently the creature known as Swamp Thing, as well as 3 other plant or Web-Life connected Supers were possessed by an extra terrestrial force that caused them to do these attacks. Meanwhile the uninhabited bodies of the Supers banded together to get to the root of the problem while their other bodies made you lot look like a bunch of amateurs. They travelled to the moon and killed the extra terrestrials with the help of Dr. Leo Quintum."

"One of your own Waller? This is looking better and better for you." Batman snarks.

"He was apparently taken hostage, caped crusader, and he's been taken into custody as of two months."

She straightens her smart business suit and continues with her presentation.

"Dr. Leo Quintum was forced to create the Green Altering Weaponry. Fortunately now that he's back with us, we've had him create more Green Weaponry."

"What?" Superman shouts. The JL look shocked.

* * *

><p><strong>2 Months Ago; Cadmus Labs:<strong>

Dr. Leo Quintum pushes his bruised face into the light, drowning his wincing eyes in white.

"Yes?" he said. "What is it now?"

He's slowing beings to make out a figure marching towards him.

"Dr. Leo Quintum, formerly of Cadmus Labs, you are under arrest for crime against nature."

"Heh, that's a good one," He replies. His voice has turned from an intellectual slightly feminine tone to a ballet of raspy groans.

"Now, you can either be taken to Belle Reve and wait for a month before your preliminary hearing, or you can come back to work for us under on a special new project, as a free man."

"W-what kind of project?"

"Taking the Green in the name of Science of course, starting with the capture and execution of the Swamp Thing."

* * *

><p><strong>Justice League Watchtower:<strong>

"You want to take the Green for America?!" Superman exclaims.

"Think about it; all the worlds plant life in the palm of our hand. We'll control the world's food market and Eco system. Our country will never know hunger. The capture of the Elemental Terrorist of the Swamp Thing will just be a test run at it."

"I can't even begin to Fathom how horrible of an idea that is." Superman says.

"You are contractually obligated, Man of Steel-"

"No! This goes against every-"

"Sorry, she's right sir. We are not able to interfere with this unless we are to be of assistance in the mission. It's part of our deal with the United Nations," informs Captain Atom.

"You sound like you know a lot about this, Captain." Batman says.

"Well, I've been drafted into this mission actually. I still have a military contract, and I will be leading the charge tomorrow morning, sir." Captain Atom replies. The league members just stare at him.

"And there is nothing you can do about it. It is our right to hunt escaped criminals. The Swamp Thing is one of them. The belongings of a criminal belong to the state. As far as we're concerned, the Green is a belonging of Swamp Thing," Amanda snaps at the heroes.

"You can't seize a form of life! It's not an asset or belongings," Wonder Woman protests.

"Tell it to the judge, sister. I didn't want to come here and have to put up with your crap. I don't work for the Justice League Initiative anymore. But you wished for a report of the situation and this is how we're handling it. I'm guessing you Justice Leaguers don't exactly want the job of dealing with it what with everything else that's on your plate at the moment."

The Justice League all turn to look at each other.

"And how exactly do you plan to take down the Swamp Thing when Superman here couldn't?" Batman asks, peering his white eyes out over the folds of dark leather Kevlar.

* * *

><p><strong>Cadmus Labs; 2 Months Ago:<strong>

100 men and women of all different ethnicities, physiques and ages all wearing white shirts, tracksuits with green lines across the seams on the shirts, with a green flower logo on the right breast on the shirt, stand in rows in a huge light hall. Amanda Waller stands at the front of the Rows with Dr. Leo Quintum, still healing from his cuts and bruises but back in his Lab coat and glasses, by her right and on her left is General Sam Lane.

Amanda smirks before calling out in her aggressive and authoritative tones. "Alright listen up, you ladies and gentlemen have been selected at random from the entire population of Earth to see if you have what it takes to join the Green Team. The Green Team will be 5 of you who make it through this process to help gain all of the Earth's resources in one go. You will help gain use of all of Earth's plant life over the course of this two-month course. The Green Team will then be tasked with the equal distribution of the power we hope to gain from this as a team more influential than the Justice League. We are offering you spiritual and purposeful enlightenment with a big fat paycheck at the end for everyone. I will be the overseer of the operation, Dr. Quintum will be chief engineer and General Lane will be tactical training advisor. Your first assignment; assassinate the Swamp Thing for revenge against these recent plant attacks across the Earth. No one knows that information but from where I'm standing he's Public Enemy No. 1."  
>_<p>

_"Dr. Leo Quintum's Journal, July 3rd 2023: The tests have begun as the candidates are beginning the preliminary stage of the tests. Starting at seven o'clock, They have two hours a day of Botany 101, one hour a day of physical training, three hours of meditation, a half an hour break for lunch and then repeat till half seven when they're put in Sensory Deprivation Tanks for the night. A few left the program after the first day but almost all stayed, many of them seem to have good attitudes towards the program for their own reasons, mainly being that it's a once in a life time experience. ... I hate my new job." _

_Dr. Leo Quintum's Journal July 15th. 2023: As of today, the Preliminary Stages have ended as Stage Alpha begins. (who names these things?) Almost half the class where not accepted to the rest of the Program, much to their distain. Those who stayed where surprisingly varied as the class was at the beginning of the course. Tomorrow we will start with the bio restorative communication tests, in which a patient will have the Bio Restorative Formula injected into their veins and them have them attend to control plant life._

_Dr. Leo Quintum's July 16th 2023: Today was a nightmare. Thirteen of the remaining fifthly three candidates went insane once the Bio Restorative Formula reached their blood stream. Seven of them became comatosed, and sixteen of them died erupting in plant spores. However, the seventeen remainders all are displaying healthy brain and body functions. We'll have to wait till tomorrow to see if their abilities will manifest like we anticipated._

* * *

><p><strong>Justice League Watchtower:<strong>

"So this Green Squad that you've created are all ready for the attack then?" Batman asked.

"Yes. Tomorrow morning, sharp. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some last minute operations to over see. C'mon Captain."

"Yes ma'am." Captain Atom says as he gets up from the table to leave. Wonder Woman reaches for his wrist.

"You don't have to do this, Captain." She says.

"I kinda do. It's what I was made for," Captain Atom says.

* * *

><p><strong>Louisiana:<strong>

Today Abbie Arcane watches the news on her Phone as the massive plant growths all over the Earth are being drawn back into the soil. The huge arctic jungle, one of the biggest was just drawn back in yesterday and today the Rainforest has been restored to its former glory. People all over the World called these massive plant grows works of god or revenge from nature but it seems that the Green has been put back to normal, or as normal as it can be. She looks up at Swamp Thing's massive protective cocoon. Abbie reaches up and pats the side of it.

"Good work, Alec. Good work."

She watches the cocoon while the Botany Students take a lunch break. Using her Rot powers she turns to a nearby tree and concentrates, suddenly the tree breaks down into a sort of mulch. Once in that state Abby waves with her hand and Dark Rot energy moves the mulch into a throne looking shape. She then walks over to sit down and continue reading her book when she feels a sort of psychic shock wave in the Rot Wavelength coming from the other end of the Swamp. She puts down her book, stands up tall and rolls her shoulder blades around making small circular movements with her arms. She does this as the big huge Bat like wings of Rot energy sprout from her shoulders. The dark scuttling mist sprouts from her shoulders and quickly covers her entire body but leaves her immaculate hair alone. She stands a bastion of darkness, smiles and swoops off into the afternoon sky. Meanwhile above he swampland a helicopter slowly looses altitude. Inside the Helicopter stands Captain Atom alongside the Green Team. Two women, one of them tall and skinny the other one short and thin, three men all medium height and rather well built, each wear gas masks, leather masks with thick dark goggles. They wear thick speedo looking outfits with large oxygen tank looking devices on their backs. Green lines along the seams again but their costumes are mainly black with Grey patches. "15 seconds till drop," Amanda Waller says over the radio. "Prepare the Napalm."

* * *

><p><strong>Next Issue: The Beast Burnt Down.<strong>


	9. Issue 9- Battlefield: Louisiana Part 2

**Swamp Thing Issue 9**

**Battlefield: Louisiana Part 2**

**By RoninReviews**

* * *

><p>"Push it out. Grow it. Move. The cool thick tar of my self-made womb encompasses my body as it forms. I am Alec Holland. I was a botanist. I used to be just somebody. But now I am reborn... no. I'm me, I'm just... I need to re-make myself. I am me, not something else. I was born in Houma, Louisiana to Larry and... Alice, that's it. Alice Holland. I had 2 sisters and... a brother? No. Did I? Okay. My mind... My mind is together. Now I need to sort out my body.<p>

"Last I remembered I was young, 27 almost 28. I had blonde hair, light green eyes. I was tall and skinny. I used to bite my finger nails, for no real reason, just a bad habit really. I had a dark red burn mark on my forearm from when I accidentally leaned against one of my wife's hot baking trays. My wife's name was Linda Holland. No. Wait. Need to stay focused. Need to re build it all; every little details. I push my newest decisions into place and start thinking of new ones. I had a little birth mark below my left ear and little dimples left from my teenage acne. I had a bruise from when I bumped my shin against a table leg at the diner that one time.

I had callused fingers from when I use to play guitar and a small hole in my nose from where that silly nose piercing I had was taken out; my high school girlfriend really wanted me to get one and I was an idiot at the time, so I did it. Oh, and I have a funny mark when she told me I'd look good with black eyeliner and it gave me a rash. I was creepily veiny and it sometimes freaked people out especially in my right arm. Sometimes when I got bored I'd press them into my skin to make them go away before they pop right out again. Prominent cheek bones too. I... I think that's all done. Time to go out and face the world..."

Alec slowly emerges from the womb like cocoon tearing away the mulch foliage from his body, as he raised up the tears away his umbilical cord. He pushes out his hands as he breaks the surface of the water, erupting from the green pool into the light. He takes a second to take in his surroundings.

"It's a murky swamp. But it's on fire? What's happened here? It's all falling to pieces. I scramble to the banks of the river and pull myself up, clinging to some reeds. The smell of burning all around me, smoke covering everything. I begin to run but soon find it difficult, wearing; as I run everywhere now and again I feel a soft moist crunch beneath my feet, like watermelon snow. Focus. I look over to see a big old house, looks like it's been abandoned for years. Head there; it's safer, and away from the smoke. It's in my lungs' tearing at their weak coating, my- I... Yuuuurkkk- What did I just vomit? Looks like flesh and- Yuuueechh- oh my god. What's happened to the air? It's not just smoke! Its arrgh- my skin: burning, itching, a large rash is growing up each arm, I fall to the ground, shaking uncontrollably as my hair falls out and my skin grows wrinkly and soft. The rashes get worse, I can't feel my arm. Need to get away! Choking! What's happening to- me... I try to pull myself up but fall down again. "

"I try to inhale some air into my lungs but it's like I'm choking down burnt tobacco. I look to my left and see... a green skeleton, its facial flesh almost completely torn away, a thick rash covering good portions of its remaining skin. It's Green. Like me. It has a small hole in what's left of its nose from a piercing its high school girlfriend persuaded him to get. It has a funny birthmark below its ear. It used to bite its finger nails, bad habit. It used to have blonde, hair and a burn mark from when it leant against one of his wife's still hot baking trays. I think about the body beside me while I zone out. I lose my body. It falls away like autumn leaves. I look around while I still have eyes and I see that what I was running on earlier was other bodies... other bodies of young men, the same age. And then my mind falls apart. Back to the pool, I go. Back to the womb, I went.

A man steps out of the bushes, his thick leather boot crushes twigs and burnt foliage as it falls. He makes his way into the clearing, looking over to see a large old house; in his arms is a large high tech gun with green markings on some of the edges. The side of the gun has a large nozzle attached to it which hooks up to a large canister attached to his back.

He is dressed completely in black with a Green Stripes across the seams. He wears a gas mask with dark goggles with a cowl covering his head, his face is completely covered. He takes a few more cautious steps into the clearing, acknowledging to various green bodies that litter that ground, before signalling back to his crew. A group of five people, two women and three men each wearing the same uniform emerge from the foliage.

One of the women chimes in. "This is defiantly it. Lots of green energy signatures."

One of them bends down to inspect one of the bodies as they begin to disperse around the clearing.

"And the bodies? How is he still being able to grow new bodies? He should've lost all connection when we cut him off after Captain Atom blew the Swamp to pieces." One of the men asks.

"This pond will be it then," One of the males replies. "Something about this pond, I mean. This is where he first emerged from."

"He's not growing his regular body. He seems to be growing bodies that resemble Alec Holland. Why doesn't he just grow a more powerful body?"

"Maybe he can't."

"Doesn't make sense. He's tried to do this many times over and over again always being killed by the Agent Orange being pumped through the jungle."

"He's like a gold fish. Swims around the tank, Ooh a castle! Swims around the tank, Ooh a castle!"

"Has he lost his mind?"

"Wouldn't be surprised if he has." The Green Team walk over to the edge of the Pond and look down into the murky green tinted water.

"Time to take a dip it seems." The Leader says.

He comes to the edge of the pond and lowers himself into the water. He quickly sinks down into the murky depths; he turns a notch on his goggles allowing him to see through the murk. He soon reaches the bottom coming across a large cocoon looking plant about the size of a small car with a long vine floating upwards with a small flower at the top coming out of the middle of it.

Different underwater plant life has sprouted around it. The man feels a strong throbbing in the back of his heat, like an electric heat beat, growing harder and harder with every beat. There's something magnetic about it that is whispering to the Green connection that was drilled into him. He un-clicks the latch on his wrist allowing his glove to be taken off, casting aside the leather he reaches out his hand to touch the cocoon.

* * *

><p><strong>The Green<strong>

Alec has grown more foliage across his body than when we last saw him with his walking stick now looking more like an ornate staff. More life has returned to the Green from before with Cantacium's re-construction with the Green looking almost like new again. He and Sunny hop onto a long boat at the edge of the River and begin to sail up stream.

"So this... wolf guy is gonna help us find the Parliament then?"

Sunny takes the oar of the boat and begins to paddle.

"He's the richest guy in the Green, he'll know whatta do."

"Who was he before... y'know..."

"Richest guy in France. Part of the French aristocracy during, y'know, that little revolution they had themselves. He was dragged from his home by the villagers, set on fire and left to die. Tough bastard, managed to scramble himself into the swamp and the rest is history."

"He turned into a big monster?"

"Hahaha! Y'know, you were the first of us in a long while that just turned into that big ol thing. You don't have to."

"What?"

"Yeah most people don't. They just make a pretty good approximation of themselves. I think I did a pretty good job myself. But that Thing body almost became fashionable again after Albert Holler was one of the last ones to do it before y'self. Oh and your uh, predecessor."

"My predecessor?"

"Ah, damnit."

"What? Who was my predecessor?"

"Ahh kid, there's... there's something's that're better left alone alright? Damnit, damnit!" Sunny curses himself under his breath.

"Okay, now you're freaking me out."

"Listen, jus okay, I really- You was gonna find out soon enough I guess. We'll meet him, alright? Just we'll see the Wolf first and then we'll meet him. He's been calling to meet with you for a long time and... And well. Now you're here."

"So what's the deal with him, then? Why's he so highly regarded?"

"It's a... kinda a long story. You'll find out."

* * *

><p><strong>20 Minutes Later<strong>

Sunny and Alec's small boat reaches the dock connecting to a 17th Century French manor house made out of foliage and bark. There is a luscious garden exhibiting some of the rarest type of Vegetation on the planet all shown off in splendid fashion.

They approach the house but as they reach the oaken door they hear a rumbling in the ground beneath them. Out from which grows a group of five rudimentary bodies. They're dressed like the French National Guard from the 17th Century, all complete with fancy moustaches, muskets and elaborate over coats all made out of moss and leaves. A man riding a bark horse draws his sword and points it at the duo.

"State your business peasants or be struck down."

Sunny glances up at Alec and slighty smirks at him.

"He's had some problems letting go, y'see. You wanna handle this one? Show off what you've learnt?"

"Uh, yeah... sure."

Alec clutches his staff a little tighter and the circle at the top of the staff begins to grow Green. With that the end of the staff begins to grow long strong roots. Alec then springs into action. He swings the roots of his staff at one of the guards with the roots clinging onto the guard allowing Alec to slam him to the ground. The other guards rush at him but Alec shoves his hand into a pocket of Moss by his waist and pulls out a handful of red seeds.

He then throws them at the guards, the seeds embedding immediately growing large powerful roots out which quickly tear their bodies apart. Alec smirks as the adrenaline rushes through him, he turned to- THACK! - A powerful searing pain rose up his face from the bottom of his chin to his forehead. He falls to his knees trying to keep the thick green like liquid and vines from pouring out of his face. Alec, looking up, with his one still operational eye, to see the Calvary Guard standing over him, wipes the green blood from his sword with a clean light leaf.

"I'd suggest you surrender, sir. You've caused enough trouble as it i- Aaarrgghh!"

The next thing Alec hears is a loud thump as the Guard is thrown off his horse, the Guard shrieks and the horse panics and gallops away. Sunny stands over the body of the Guard with long bark claws sticking out of his hands drenches in green blood. He sheaths back his claws.

"Keep ye head up, kid," Sunny flexes his arm and the claws rise back up into his arms. "I'll learn ya that one later."

"I don't know if I want to learn that one."

"Yeah it's not for all folks. C'mon, let's get on in. That slice of pointless violence was fun, eh?"

They move towards the oaken door only for it to open for them.

"Well... okay then." Sunny says.

* * *

><p><strong>Louisiana, Houma<strong>

Abbie stands at the cash register as the bored bag boy stuffs her groceries. The Rot side of her brain begins to kick in.

"Look at this spotty greasy piece of flesh. What's he ever going amount to? Nothing. He lives in Houma as a bag boy. If there was ever a more invalid bag of flesh I've ever been even tangentially aware of I'd probably have cast myself into the holy endless dark years ago. Put him out of his misery already Miss Holland."

"See, this is why I can't have nice things." Abbie mutters to herself.

"Huh?" The bag boy asks handing her the bag.

"Nothing. Thank you very much." She kindly smiles at the bag boy, making him smile as he watches the beautiful woman leave the store. She walks across the street back towards the swamp.

"That was absolutely sickening. Remind me to poison a kitten later. That should cheer me up."

"Give it a rest already. I smile at the bag boy, he smiles at someone else, they smile at another person, and everyone gets a little glow of happiness in their lives."

"I think you need a Doctor."

"I think you need to shut the # &% up."

Abbie suddenly hears screams and shouts from all around her as people start to rush to the edge of the swamps, looking up into the sky. She hears police sirens in the distance but it all seems to drown out as she looks up to see a huge cloud of black smoke rising above the tree line.

"# &%."

She notices as people begin to run out of the Swamp covered in boils as they choke like their lungs are on fire.

"What's going on here?" She thinks loudly.

The Rot replies, "I'm looking now: lots of dead animals, small ones, rats and snakes and stuff. Large explosion. Some sort of chemical nerve gas is in the air. Reminds me of that one that killed a helluva lotta people back in the 70's. Ah! Agent Orange; A whole lot of it moving through the Swamps."

"Can you find Alec? Is he okay?"

"Yeah I think that's him. Lotta rot coming from where we left him. Bit too green for my liking."

"We've got to get in there!"

Abbie turns and rushes for a back alleyway. Once out of sight she clenches her muscles as she feels the strong force power through her. Through the power of The Rot, her skin turns jet black as her body armour forms over her skin. She rolls her shoulder blades as her bat like wings sprout from her back. She takes off into the air over Houma and dives back down in front of the Swamps. By this point a lot of bystanders are around with cops cording off the area and paramedics trying to help those affected by the Orange.

Abbie swoops down in front of the police line and surveys the situation. She sees the Orange beginning to foam out of the Swamp like bubble bath. She goes right up close to the edge of the swamp and holds out her hands. They begin to create a large black dome around the side of the Swamp. People shout and cheer her on. That feels good. She takes away her hands once the Swamp is properly sealed off from this side of the town. She turns back to see the chief of Police standing before her.

"This isn't going to hold off the smoke for long. It'll find a way through. You need to get this part of the town evacuated immediately. I'm going in to find what caused this," Abbie says sternly.

"Sounds like a plan. We'll handle it from here Miss."

"Really? Just like that? No saying, 'hey why should I take orders from you?' And all that clichéd crap?"

"Why would I? That sounds perfectly reasonable."

"Well, TV and Movies have lied to me, then. I'm off." And with that Abbie swoops into the sky.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Cadmus<span>**

Amanda Waller stands in a dark room with a man sitting in an arm chair, wearing a large Cerebro looking device with green lighting on the panels in the middle of the room. He wears a completely white suit with green lines along the seams, a poppy attached to the lapel and the Green Team Logo on his breast.

"All goes well I assume, Doctor Holland?"

"As far as I can see-" He begins.

Mr. Holland sees the Green Team pulling the Womb out of the depths of the Pond with the Leader writhing on the floor. He sees Alec and Sunny looking up the stairs of the ornate oak house to see a pair of dark eyes beaming down at them. He sees Captain Atom walking through the Swamp, everything around him dying and falling apart as he moves in his cloud of Orange. He sees Abbie blindly flying into a death trap.

"-Yes. Yes everything is going perfectly."

He goes to take off the device and look up at Amanda, his dark green eyes glinting in the dim light, his blonde fashioned hair swaying on his head, his slight stubble ranging across lower jaw line, and thick dark vines across his face like roots.

"But please, Mr. Holland if you don't mind. Doctor Holland is my embarrassing younger brother."

* * *

><p><strong>NEXT: BATTLEFIELD: LOUSIANA CONTINUES! CAPTAIN ATOM VS. ABBIE ARCANE! WHO IS THE WOLF?! WHO IS ALEC'S PREDESSECOR?! WHERE IS CANTACIUM?! WAIT WHAT? ALEC'S BROTHER! WTF IS THIS COMIC! OMFG! WOOOOOOOW!<strong>

**Yeah check out the next issue if you want.**


	10. Issue 10- Battlefield: Louisiana Part 3

**The Saga of Swamp Thing Issue 10**

**Battlefield: Louisiana Part 3**

**By James Brady**

**15 years ago**

Alec stands in his brother's bedroom craning his neck over Leopold's incubator. Inside is a damp lust circus of genetically engineered plants made by Edward. Alec is fascinated by them, along with anything his older brother does. He watches as them intently as they synthesis the light into energy, he watches the mass of strange and unusual plant life from above through a magnifying glass. He feels safe here as if the plants are looking up to him admiringly. All around Edward's room is pictures and charts all about plants and other scientific experiments. He has a massive poster of a green flower logo with an Einstein quote under it. He hears the voices of his mother and brother coming up the stairs and he instantly goes to put the lid back on the tank but it's too heavy for him. He hears their voices closer now, the lid still not fitting on properly. His brother swings open the door with a surprised look on his face.

"Alec. Ah c'mon man I've told you before; they need to stay warm. Lemme help you with that."

He walks over and instantly fits the lid back onto the incubator. He dumps his college bag on the bed.

"Sorry. I just wanted to take a closer look," Alec replies feeling pretty guilty.

"It's okay, don't worry about it. I know you're as interested as me in Botany but y'know respect my stuff, man."

"Can you tell me about this one?" Alec pushes his finger against the glass frame pointing at a small oval cactus like plant.

"I call that one the Avatar. You see this isn't an ordinary garden; it's a machine with different parts and devices that all help each other survive. I've made a miniature eco system. That one in the middle is the one that takes in the temperature of all of its surroundings and the types of soil and sends signals to the other plants that help them decide where best to lay their roots and where to face towards. It's their protector in a way. I've been changing their environment ever so slightly every day and taken notes as the Avatar and sends different signals in the pheromones it sends off. The Avatar is working really well and has managed to overcome ever change I've made to the eco system but part of the course is to find the breaking point. Soon I'm going to have to change the soil in ways that make it impossible for the Avatar to predict the best course of action, and soon it's going to lose and the eco system will be killed."

"But why?" Alec asks, looking up at his brother as the pair sits on the bed looking at the incubator.

"For my research."

**Louisiana Swamps, Now:**

Abigail Arcane swoops over the burning fields of the once picture esc landscape of the Louisiana Swamps; she searches the Rot for the centre point of the destruction. She searches through the eyes of a burning near death swamp rat as it desperately attempts to scamper to freedom. She takes control through the Rot in its body and has it search through the burning undergrowth forcing it to prolong its painful demise. As the rat begins to die it finds the epicentre of the maelstrom, a beautiful silver man covered in ugly orange flames. The flames seem to be pulsating from him like an exploding volcano with the Atomic symbol on his chest being the match that lights the flame.

The vision cuts out as the rats brain turns to along with the rest of its body but she knows where to look. She swoops down, her Bat-like wings leaving a trail of pitch-black track lines as she goes. From her dark energy she creates large tekko-kagi claws and descends into the burning forests after the burning man.

Elsewhere in the Swamps:

The Green Team stand around the edge of pond still waiting for their team member to return, one of the women decides to break the silence.

"He's been down there for 3 minutes now. We've got a job to do."

"The job is to capture Swamp Thing," One of the men replies. "If whatever is in the swamp is causing him to keep regenerating bodies then this pond is the objective."

"We should at least do something. Who knows how long the walking Manhattan Project is gonna keep whoever off our backs."

"We wait for the word from Waller then we move. Until then we stay pu-"

With a booming splash something erupts from the swamp, vines and roots erupting along with it. The water quickly falls back down as the group get a good look at the frantic shamble of roots and violence before them. Their green team leader is being attacked by a mass of roots erupting from the swamp. He valiantly cuts and slices away at them, through brute strength being able to fend them off. He falls back onto the banks with a thud as the roots sink back into the swamps. The other members of the Green Team rush to help him to his feet.

"Huff- huff... I... think we've found it. Heff," He says through bated breath.

"Are you alright?" One of the men asks.

"I'm fine. It's some kind of cocoon down there. It's pretty big, about the size of a small car."

"Damn. All right, you go rest up. We'll get the copter to come over here and help us lift it out," One of the men says.

One of the women pulls out a walkie-talkie and begins to talk to the Helicopter pilot. The rest of them continue to speculate about the swamp while the man goes and sits down on a log at the side watching the others intently. He slowly goes to remove his gas mask unlicking the latches as he goes. His mouth and nose seem to have turned a sort of light green with a vine running down his nose and across his chest. He takes off his helmet to reveal a set of deep red eyes. He cracks his knuckles while watching the others and plays with a patch of weeds while he waits.

**The Green**

Alec and Sunny look up the stairs of the ornate oak and moss house to see a pair of red eyes looking down at them. Sunny steps forward.

"I'm assuming you're the one they're callin the Wolf then?"

"I am indeed," He replies in his thick French accent. "And I cannot help but notice you've decided to murder my guards and waltz on into my mansion."

"We're looking for answers, Mr. Wolf. We're trying to find the Parliament of Trees as they haven't been seen since the attack on the Green last month and you're apparently the most connected person in the Green, sir."

The Wolf begins to descend the stair case, we see him as a short fat man wearing what appears to be a 17th Centaury Dining suit with thick curled hair, a carefully trimmed beard.

"That I am but the Parliament have been rather quiet, so my... sources have been running dry with information, but apparently there is a new presence in the Green; a new force."

"You have any leads?"

"As of yet no, but hrm. You were connected to the Avatar, correct?"

"Uh yeah. Not anymore, but yeah."

"Excellent. Come, come." He beacons as he leads them through the creaky old house down into the basement.

They see a large operating table made out of wood and moss with delicately made surgical tools beside it on a tray. The head of the table is facing towards one of the large cocoons about the size of a small car. The cocoon is propped up on a pulls system where it is held in place with vines. The opening of the cocoon has long vines with flowers at the top searching around like a lost puppy for something to grasp.

"You may still have the 'direct line' to the Parliament that all Avatars have. This could allow you to if not communicate with them get an idea of where they are. It's almost like a broadcasting unit; you'll be able to contact all the other Avatars to see if they'll help. This lack of any sort of leadership or focus for the Green is good for no one. Pop yourself up on the table, Doctor and we shall begin," The Wolf says.

"Wha-what're you gonna do to me?" asked Alec nervously.

"Give you a signal booster," He says holding a long sharpened wooden knife while looking at Alec.

**Louisiana, Swamps:**

Abbie plunges her claws into the back of the decorated hero, Captain Atom, before he has time to retaliate. She attempts to lift him from the ground, flapping her wings rapidly but Captain Atom proves too strong. He reaches back quickly and in a swift movement tears both her arms off and flings them to the ground. He turns to light her up with a Atomic blast but misses as she flies out of the way in time. She recreates her arms feeding on the Rot all around her to make her arms even bigger than last time, slamming Captain Atom over the head with them and down into the Earth. She stands over him triumphantly.

"It's over," She says wiping blood from her chin.

She transforms her arm into a massive blade and stabs it into Captain At-

BWOOOM!

Abbie is thrown a hundred feet into the air by the sheer force of the explosion. The Agent Orange is released like never before across the Swamps and quickly spreads into the town.

**Elsewhere in the Swamps**

The helicopter hovers above the swamps as the crane is slowly lowered towards the Green Team who watches from the clearing. The man who was pulled from the swamps slowly gets to his feet and begins to rhythmically click his fingers. "One, two, three, four," He hums under his breath, slowly titling his head to the sky. "Five."

He stops clicking and turns his head to one of the male Green Team members. He suddenly begins to cough rapidly and falls to his knees trying to take off his gas mask. He eventually does as the other Green Team members begin to crowd around him. He vomits out a massive ball of vines and moss. Another member of the Green Team suddenly removes their gloves as bark begins to forcibly grow out of their fingernails tearing their hands apart. Others are strangled to death by vines and others have their vital organs explode inside their bodies through the flora in their lungs.

The man walks through the carnage towards the swamp as he goes he takes off the Green Team outfit revealing his naked body. He hears the helicopter pilot desperately trying to find out what's going on through the walkie-talkie shouting, "Come In! Over!" over and over again. The man, now completely stripped of his clothes steps into the swamp, as he slowly lowers into the water, he breathes in and looks up at the helicopter. He raises his arms high into the air and long thick roots follow springing from the water up to the sky reaching for the Helicopter. The pilot freaks out as the roots begin to wrap themselves around the copter. He tries desperately to gain altitude but they're too strong. The man in the swamp watches like a cat toying with a dead mouse before swinging his arms down brining the copter with him. The helicopter falls directly onto him resulting in a large explosion.

The burning helicopter continues to fizzle and spit for another five minutes before slowly burning out. A great strength from beneath the helicopter slowly begins to push it up wards, and out from the wreckage comes SWAMP THING!

**Cadmus Labs**

Amanda Waller watches the explosion of Captain Atom and the murder of the Green Team from screens in front of a large control room. She watches as her millions of government dollars crunched and destroyed and goes right down the drain. She tears off her Bluetooth headset and throws it to the ground in a rage. She storms out of the control room and through a dark hallway. She opens a door and goes into Edward's room.

"Holland! What on Earth was that measly display?! Do you know how much money-"

Edward slowly gets out of his chair taking off his Cerebro esc helmet off and turns to Amanda.

"Yes, well done. It has all gone to #*&^! Now we either go home empty handed or we make one last ditch effort to take Alec down!"

"What do you propose? We've already spent all of our extended budget."

"Do whatever you have to do. Planes, tanks, bombs. We wear him down and then you send me in."

"You?"

"Yes. You send me in and it's all over. Tell the board of directors whatever they need to hear to give you the weaponry we need. Tell them he's gotten out of control and has started murdering hundreds of people. Tell them that he's about to set off an Apocalypse. Get the Justice League involved for all I care. Just take him down."

**High above the Swamps**

"WAKE UP YOU LAZY BITCH! C'MON YOU FAT PIECE OF HUMAN # &^! YOU ARE NOT WREACKING THIS BODY! DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT TAKES TO RE MAKE AN ENTIRE ROT BODY! YOU ARE NOT MAKING ME LOOK LIKE A FOOL ON OUR FIRST # *&ING OUTTING! WAKE UUUPP!" The Rot screams at the unconscious Abby as she rockets back to Earth. She slowly begins to regain consciousness. She quickly realises how close she is to the Earth.

"C'mon! Wings! Go open em!" The Rot yells.

"No time- !" Suddenly Abby lifted up by an unknown force, swooping across the planes of the Swamp before settling down. Abbie is gently placed down on the ground before looking to see Swamp Thing standing over her with his magnificent new wings. She gets to her feet.

"Wings, huh? That's new." She says still reeling from the force of the explosion.

"I needed to help you, you'd be-" Swamp Thing begins with Abbie reaches forward and begins to kiss him. He quickly grabs her by her wrists and pulls her off of him.

"What're you doing?!" He asks.

"I was kissing you, Alec. I haven't seen you in ages. We're-"

"I'm not Alec. I have nothing of Alec inside me. I'm Cantacium De Terra; I'm from the Green. I have nothing to do with you."

"Then why did you rescue me? I'm the Avatar of the Rot. There must be something of Alec in the-"

Cantacium opens his wings and Swoosh! He's off into the sky. She looks after him with a sense of confusion and scorn in her eyes. She opens her wings again and is off after him.

She follows him as he floats along the breeze towards the huge steaming crater where the explosion happened. They lose altitude and head down towards the swamps again. They land with a thump against the dusty soil that once was thick marshland. In the middle of the crater lies Captain Atom trying to pull himself up but seems weak. Cantacium puts his hand out and roots suddenly erupt from the soil and cast themselves around Captain Atom holding him down to the Earth he struggles to escape. He looks up to see the two Avatars standing over him.

"I don't know who you are and I don't care. You've come to my Swamp and destroyed acres of green life. That is something I cannot tolerate. You will tell me who sent you and where I can find them. This is an act of War against the Green!" Cantacium bellows.

"Alright, cool your jets. Yeah you're not Alec. He wouldn't talk like that for sure," Abbie says brushing Cantacium as she passes him before crouching down in front of Atom. "Tell us who sent you and explode you again." She turns back to Cantacium. "And you. No declaring War till we figure this whole thing out."

Captain Atom begins to talk. "M-m-m Mayday. I've been ca-ptured. Need back up!"

"Alright then." Abbie returns to her full height and puts out her hand. The ground below Captain Atom suddenly begins to erode and fall to dust causing him to begin to fall down into the thick dirt burying him away.

"We can keep him down there for now. He'll get out eventually. What's the plan then?"

"This is an act of War. I was attacked by a group of humans that had weaponry that could affect the green. They cut off my connection to the Green and I had to create a cocoon to keep my mind intact. I was able to make rudimental bodies but no real connection. I was able to drop my consciousness into one of the humans and from there I was able to regain my connection."

"Where are they?"

"I killed them and then made myself a new body."

"All of them?!"

"Hrm, let me see." Swamp Thing's body suddenly begins to peel away to reveal a shrivelled damaged body inside. The body falls out onto the ground.

"Aww gross!" Abbie says hold her hand to her nose to keep the smell away.

"Can you use your Rot powers to read his mind?" Cantacium asks.

"Probably. He can't have been dead for long."

She holds out her hand and tendrils begin to form as they dip down into the skull of the body and into his mind. She searches through the past memories watching his induction into the Green Team and the tests they did on him. She eventually gets images of Cadmus Labs and Amanda Waller and... Edward Holland?

She comes out of his mind and instantly looks at Cantacium.

"We need to find Alec!"

"Alec is in the Green. I cannot contact him for the time being," Cantaciums says coldly.

"Okay. We should begin to focus on stopping the Agent Orange. I've managed to hold it off for the time being but with your help we should be able to keep it away from the town."

"Why? What does it matter? They're just humans."

"Urgh, just, c'mon!"

Abbie takes off into the sky and Cantacium follows. They gain a good amount of altitude and as Abbie is about to descend towards the town she realises that Canatcium has suddenly stopped. She turns back to see him staring angrily with clenches fists. She follows his line of sight to see a massive platoon of about a hundred armed military helicopters pouring over the Louisiana skyline as the sun descends into the swamps.

"And you said this wasn't War?" Cantacium says through gritted teeth.

**The Green**

Alec's brain is attached to the giant cocoon in The Wolf's cellar as he begins to descend into another plane of existence. He falls through the Green watching as hundreds of his predecessors float past him like leaves down a stream. He floats peacefully through the eternal life that is the green.

_Within you without you seem to play on repeat. Time has no meaning. Everything is connected. We are all one massive blade of grass moving and contorting as one. We're all beings of stardust and celestial opium- Wait? What am I saying? _

Alec suddenly sees a portal of blue light and feels drawn towards it. He falls through and lands in a huge grassy field. Before him he sees the Parliament of Trees, all some of the greatest Avatars that have ever lived together governing all that is Green. He approaches them. However they're all standing in a sort of limp fashion with nothing in their eyes like puppets on a string. The grassy field is all blue.

_What is happening here? _

The Parliament still has greenish bodies but the backs of their heads are attached to long strands of cables all reaching up into another portal. They watch Alec intently.

"Hi. I'm uh, Alec Holland. I assume you're the Parliament of Trees. We've only met once before I used to be the Avatar. I, um, was wondering basically, what's going on? How come the Green is still pretty barren and uh, where are all the other Avatars?"

The Parliament speaks as one. "The Green is as it should be. These matters are of none of your business. Allow the great Parliament to govern the Green and you shall be taken care of. The other Avatars will be minding their own business as you should be little human."

"That's not really the answer I was looking for. Could we maybe have more of an open discussion about this stuff? I mean no one knows what's going on. Why is it all blue in here also?"

"Your time here is up, little human! Return to your area of the Green and you shall be taken care of by the state. Do not return."

"Hey! What're you attached to! This isn't what the Parliament usually is like. Wha-"

Alec suddenly feels a huge power on his shoulder as he turns he sees Wood-Rue a.k.a The Floronic Man looking down on him.

"Wood-Rue?" Alec asks confused.

Wood-Rue suddenly turns and thrown Alec back into the portal that he come from with him suddenly waking up on The Wolf's table. Sunny and the Wolf watch him intently as he slowly gets a bearing of his surroundings.

"What happened?" The Wolf asks.

"Something is wrong. Something is controlling the Parliament." Alec replies.

**High above Louisiana**

Cantacium begins to grow a large sword from his right hand and a massive shield from his left as he stares determinedly at the Helicopters. He suddenly feels Abbie's hand on his shoulder.

"Ale- I mean Cantacium. War means that there are at least two different factions against each other. You don't have to do this. The Swamp will be destroyed, and the town also. Imagine all those that will be harmed. We should just leave. Go somewhere else. This has gone far enough as it is."

Cantacium slowly begins to calm down and he allows the sword and shield to turn to leaves and blow away in the wind.

"Okay. Let's get ou- Aarrggh!" Cantacium suddenly beings to writhe in pain holding his head as he does. Abbie tries to calm him down.

"Cantacium! What's happening? What is it?"

"E-E- Errrghh" He groans before looking up again he turns to Abbie and she sees the deep blue in his eyes.

"Enemy!" He shouts before with a powerful blow punching Abbie away from him. She begins to hurtle towards the Earth as he regrows his sword and shield bigger than last time and flies towards the helicopters as the war begins!

**Next Issue! The final part of Battlefield: Louisiana! Swamp Thing VS. The US Government and Civil War in the Green!**


	11. Issue 11- Battlefield: Louisiana Part 4

**Swamp Thing Issue 11**

**Battlefield: Louisiana Part 4 Finale**

**By James Brady**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Houma Town, Louisiana<strong>

The empty streets of the once bustling rough and ready town of Houma are an echo of it's former self. The Deadly Radioactive Agent Orange Gas sweeps through the streets after just being set off no more than half an hour ago. In the distance we hear fait car horns from the Freeway as hundreds of cars try to leave the town. Even further in the distance we can hear Helicopter blades. A gust of air lifts a piece of newspaper into the air as it begins to cascade along the empty streets. It floats carelessly through the buildings till it suddenly hits something: a green man, marching through the streets. He is made of leaves with bark and some roots holding him together, a very rudimental being. Behind him we see another green man being formed as roots and leaves bond together to make him.

Soon there is a small army of green men marching down the street, all in time the steady beat of helicopter blades. They come to a tall building and look up. One steps forward and tries to climb the walls. Another steps forward and tries to climb till they're all doing it. One of them tries to jump but falls. Another inspired by the jumping attempted to as well but falls. Then another attempts to sprout wings but they're too small and he also falls. Another one makes larger wings and SWOOF! He's off into the sky. The others watch in amazement and instantly try the same thing. SWOOF! SWOOF! SWOOF! Again and again, up into the sky a sea of green pellets rising over the concrete. They then land down onto the building where they meet him: The Great One.

He turns to see them with his deep dark blue eyes and his huge green and brown body. His wings are bigger than theirs and his armour is tougher. In one hand is a large sword and the other is a shield. He's grown antlers that reach high into the sky. The Swamp Thing is ready for war.

"Good." His voice rumbles. He turns from his loyal troops and looks up into the sky where an armada of heavily armed military grade helicopters zoom across the rather pleasant late afternoon sun.

"Welcome to the front line."

* * *

><p><span><strong>The Green, The Wolf's House<strong>

Alec is still reeling from his mind scan of the Green and his meeting with the possessed parliament when he hears Sunny call to him from the top of the stairs.

"Hey kid! We gots visitors!"

Alec and The Wolf come up from the basement and follow Sunny out of the house.

Alec is shocked to see about 20 or 30 Avatars of all different shapes and sizes all standing out on The Wolf's garden. Some have large horns, some are dinosaurs or cavemen, and some are Roman Centurions or Vikings Kings, some float through the sky with their buttlerfly like wings while others grow into flowers along the ground. An avatar that seems to be a Lion steps forward.

"Alec Holland. You have called us here." He growls in a thick rumbling voice.

"Yeah, um we've got a problem. I took a dip into the Green and I managed to contact the spirits of the Parliament of Trees and they seem to be controlled by some kid of blue force. They all talk in unison, like puppets on a string. I was there to try and figure out what was happening in the Green and why it still looks so... barren."

"Blue?" The Lion replies more shocked than confused. The other avatars look at each other discussing the matter between each other. "There is no life force that has Blue as its signature. This is certainly strange."

"Untrue." A strange female avatar sprouts out of the ground. Her weed like hair hangs down in front of her face, she seems to be primarily made up of weed looking plants, from her arms to her long creepy flowing and moving dress. She doesn't bother looking up while talking. "During the event that transpired months ago, I was able to detect spikes of blue running through the Green hitting many vital positions."

"Lady Weeds!" The Wolf says, slightly taken aback from her sudden appearance. "What a surprise."

"Don't belittle me, Wolf. This matter concerns me as much as it concerns all of you. And I am eager to meet this young avatar." She turns to look at Alec.

"I'm an ex-avatar, just like all of you." He replies.

"With all of us together we can make a breach for power and try and find the cause of this occurrence and stop whatever strange force it is that is plaguing the Parliament." She declares.

"That's not the entire issue." The Lion says. "Many of us have not been pleased with the way the Parliament has been running things. They discuss nothing with us and an eternity in the Green is no life of relaxation and time passing. As well as Avatars like yourself Miss Weeds being granted far more power and leverage over the Green than the likes of my kind, animal avatars that many of you like to forget were the first. This class system has continued for too long. We want an equal share."

"You want Communism." Alec replies. "Everyone is equal and the government is an elected one. Everyone gets a say and a vote."

"Indeed." The Lion replies.

"That sounds reasonable." The Wolf says. "But how are we to find the Parliament? Their location has always been a mystery."

"Not recently." The Lion replies. "Avatars like myself who haven't been given sections of the Green to themselves like you and Miss Weeds have seen the extent of whatever it is that is plaguing the Green, causing so many of us to go into hiding. They've created a Capital City: a huge jungle in the middle of the Green with massive un-penetrable walls. In the middle is a massive tower that apparently has the Parliament inside. There are guards being controlled by the Wood-Rue creature that you apparently are familiar with."

"Yeah. Wood-Rue. Hrm." Alec says. "We should get going then." Alec says.

"Alright. Follow my lead." The Lion says. "And prepare for the fight of your life."

* * *

><p><span><strong>Louisiana, Houma<strong>

"Wakey Wakey, Sunshine!" The Rot hums in its ever sarcastic raspy manner. "Yer boyfriend's makin a real nice show for us today sweet heart."

Abbie slowly comes to consciousness. The thick pungent smell of the Agent Orange is everywhere. The last thing she remembers is being hit really hard across the face by Swamp Thing who seemed to be in some mad rage. She pulls herself out of the large crater she made in the street upon impact and looks up into the sky.

"Oh no..." Abbie says.

She watches as hundreds of Swamp Thing bodies attack the platoon of armed helicopters. Gun fire and explosions all around as the bodies are being massacred causing green fluid to fall from the sky.

"Real stand up fella ya got yerself there, lady. When're ya thinkin about kid huh?"

"Not now, Rot. Something's wrong with him. He's not right."

"Yeah? The big green monster body didn't tip ya off? Or the fact that he's been acting really strangely and proclaims that he's not got anything to do with Alec Holland anymore?"

"No… something other than the obvious stuff. You see that flash of blue in his eyes before he hit me? Something is controlling him Rot."

"And I still have no idea why we # &^ing care about him. Goddamn, I gotta talk to upper management about all this Green helpin' you got yerself into."

"Shhhhhhut the # ^% up. I'm going to help my friend."

Abbie suddenly opens her huge Batwings and rockets off into the sky towards the carnage.

* * *

><p>Swamp Thing is in a mad battle rage. He flies past the helicopters sending out thick vines and into them. The vines then produce thick spiked tips and stab the he pilots and military personnel in the eyes and through the throats, often tearing their bodies to pieces. Swamp Thing takes a bird out of the sky by smashing his huge sword through the cock pit and then rips another one apart through sheer force of will. He has some of the Green soldiers fly into the Helicopter and explode, throwing pine needles coated with nephrotoxic acid over the soldiers, burning their skin or creating unbearable rashes as the pine needles sink into their skin.<p>

Swamp Thing's battle plans are going well until THWOM! Abbie barrels into Swamp Thing and begins to tear into his body causing his green body to burn up with every touch.

"I'm sorry Alec! But too many have been lost already." She whispers as they plummet towards the Earth.

They smash through a building and into the streets below. They land with a boom, creating huge crater, throwing dust clouds into the air. Abbie gets to her feet and quickly cuts Swamp Thing's head clean off.

She backs away and tries to regain herself. She takes in deep breaths, trying to heal her burnt body from the contact with the Green and the energy it took out of her when- CRUACHO! The Earth breaks open and 4 Swamp Thing bodies leap from it and grab onto her trying to take her down. She struggles with them for a minute or so before managing to overpower them and blasts them to shreds with pure Rot energy.

She lands back down onto the ground only to be lifted up into the air as she feels her stomach burst open. She feels pain all over as Swamp Thing has re-grown his head into the shape of a large wooden Rhinoceros horn. He tries to ram her into the wall only for her to manage to break the horn off and throw it away. She takes a second to heal herself but Swamp Thing is back again barrelling down upon her. She pushes her hands up and they clash in the middle of the street, Swamp Thing bearing down upon Abbie as she holds his fists above his head, elemental fire crackling as the Avatars touch, both feel as if their insides are about to bust as the fire rages hard inside of each other.

"Your move, Rotling! I can grow a new body in seconds, Rotling's bodies take days. By that time this'll all be over and I'll have wiped your kingdom off the map!" Swamp Thing spits through gritted teeth and blue eyes.

"Shut up! Alec this isn't you and this isn't Cantacium! This violence isn't the answer!"

"It's the only way they'll learn. They can't live peacefully, only violently and I'm happy to oblige. It's my duty as a Knight of the Green to- "

BWOOM! With the avatars thrust together they don't notice the huge rocket being launched towards them. They're both obliterated by the explosion. Huge dust clouds form in the now half destroyed street. Swamp Thing quickly grows a new body from someone's uneaten burger bun. His body latches together as he grows feet of which to walk through the wreckage with. From his newly grown ears, he hears the sound of a helicopter landing further down the street from him and a voice booming from a speaker.

"Brother! We meet at last. All these years away and finally we're together once again in almost the exact opposite roles. You, the man of the Green and me, the newborn child of the green, eager to learn all my Brother has learnt. It's silly really but I've missed you with your silly questions, at the dinner table asking me about different cycles of photosynthesis and which type of Phloem is most likely to be present in a Phosphorous based environment. Like you couldn't have read it from a book and you just liked hearing me talk and I was happy to oblige your inquisitive little mind. Who do you look up to now, Alec; The Green, as they're apparently called? Or God, as you probably see yourself as some kind of Green messiah? Come along now, little Alec..."

Edward steps from the ashes and the dust in a huge armoured suit made out of Green Team technology. He is pulsating with Green energy.

"...who's your role model now?"

Swamp Thing suddenly leaps from the ground, huge tendrils spurting from his back as his mouth and lower jaw has peeled away to reveal a huge terrifying Venus fly trap looking contraption.

"I'M NOT ALEC HOLLAND!" He thunders.

* * *

><p><strong><span>The Green<span>**

The Avatars fly over the Green Lands wings sprouting from each of their backs. Alec is being held by a large Bolshevik looking Avatar with Sunny sitting on his shoulder as they swoop through the pale green sky. Alec feels incredible, in the mystic dimension of the Green flying high with the other once powerful and great Avatars of the Green empowered with a sense of purpose and passion for the first time for many in millennium.

"There it is." The Lion announces.

Alec looks down to see The Capital City of the Parliament, a huge sprawling mass of wooden spirals and buildings in the middle of what looks to be part governmental building, half work of modern art.

A Samurai avatar turns to the rest mid flight.

"They'll have seen us coming from a mile away, Avatars are very rarely seen together in large numbers. Their defences will be on high alert. Me and all the more battle experienced Avatars will dive-bomb the city, the rest of you will leave your bodies here and grow new ones on the ground in which to distract the city guards. Alec, you're with me." Alec nods in agreement.

"For honour!" He yells. As the Avatars call out in cheers and snarls and roars. Most of them leave their bodies to fall to the ground as they draw closer to the City. Sunny leans down to Alec.

"I'm going with those guys, kid. Compared to this crew I'm a danged Keystone Cop! I'll see ya on the other side. You've made the Green proud and I'm only glad I got to meet you in person." Sunny says patting him on the shoulder.

"That means a lot to me, man. You've taught me a lot Sunny. If things get bad- I- I'll never forget you. I'll see you on the other side."

Sunny then salutes Alec before leaving his body. Alec bites back the tears as they begin to loose altitude towards the Capital City.

They tear through the green sky like knives through smoke, slicing down to the Earth, their wings spread as one unit of pure life and passion. Suddenly past Alec's head he hears the ancient roar of a T-Rex as it rockets past him towards the Earth. It loses its wings as it lands in the city. The other avatar's ready their weapons with The Lady Weeds being the only one without pre grown weaponry. They take to the city dropping their wings as they begin to tear down the buildings. The huge Russian Avatar drops Alec off on a spiral looking building.

"STAY!" He commands before growing huge bear claw hands and leaping off. Alec holds his staff at the ready, preparing himself. He hears shrieks and battle cries as the he watches part of the great Capital City crumble away.

"_Where are the guards?"_ Alec thinks to himself.

Alec watches from the street as the Samurai Avatar is thrown into a building with a loud crack! He tries to get up to fight but the building opens up and swallows him whole.

"Oh..." Alec murmurs to himself.

Suddenly the building he is standing on opens up and swallows him also. He tries to fight as the branches reach and grasp at him. He jolts up his staff and tries to use it to fend off the living building. He turns the end into a blade and tries to stab at the branches but it's no use. Their plan was futile the whole time. Alec feels the thickly woven branches, cast themselves around his body before everything goes dark.

* * *

><p><span><strong>Louisiana, Houma<strong>

Swamp Thing's vines attack Edward's power suit and they attempt to pull the suit apart. Edward activates a mechanism on the suit that disperses some kind of gas into the air. Edward then punches Swamp Thing across the face throwing him to the ground.

"Feel that? Growing weaker brother? That's your attachment to the Green being drawn away."

He punches Swamp Thing down as he tries to come at him again.

"I'm cutting away your roots. One by one you're losing your connection."

He reaches down and picks the tired and weary Swamp Thing up.

"Now, Brother."

A jolt of electricity bounces through Swamp Thing rendering him weaker than ever.

"Look into my eyes."

Swamp Thing's dark blue eyes stare into Edwards.

* * *

><p><strong><span>The Green<span>**

The Parliament of Trees watches the events transpiring in Louisiana from a blue pool in the middle of their perfect circle. The blue veins attached to the backs of their heads continue to coarse with power. One of the Parliament members begins to speak.

"It seems that the one known as Edward has over powered our forced emergency procedures."

"Indeed. Withdraw the consciousness. This body will no longer be needed."

"Agreed. However, what of the Edward being? He was the chosen avatar from the beginning with his brother Alec merely filling in. Now that he's returned, we may as well use this as our opportunity."

"Agreed. Vote. Shall we move forward with Edward Holland's receiving of the mantle of Avatar?"

"Aye." The Parliament says at once. Each of them cast their hands out towards the pool before them. Roots grow from their fingers and they together, pull Cantacium from the body. He rises from the pool battered and weakened. His body seems to be that of a rudimentary avatar made body.

"Cantacium De Terra. You have served the Green well, but your time has come."

"No!" Cantacium. "Please! You can't do this to me! This is everything I've ever wanted. I allowed you to take control, to go to war. I tried my best!"

"We have found a more suitable host, Cantacium. You have served us well as a backup host but now we have the one we've been after for years."

"Please..." he begs, his faceless body down on his knees looking up at the Parliament pleading with them. "Don't... I've only ever been loyal..."

"Take care of him." One of the Parliament members commands.

Wood-Rue appears from behind Cantacium and grabs him by the shoulders.

"Throw him in with the rest of the prisoners."

* * *

><p><span><strong>Lousiana, Houma<strong>

"I'm... not... Alec Holland..." He whispers before the blue returns to the regular bright red flare as he then passes out.

Edward drops Swamp Thing's body to the ground. The huge robotic suit opens up as Edward steps out of it. He walks a few paces through the rubble of the street before falling to his knees. An electric bubbling sensation passes over him like a wave of power. He smiles as he feels the transformation taking place as the Agent Orange burns away his old body, his skin falling away to reveal thick green under it.

He stands reborn. He has a bark coated body, thick and stern to the touch, he has a large crest of thick grass for hair. He is tall a powerful. He shrugs his shoulders and wings pop out from each side.

"Yes..." He sighs deeply.

**NEXT: We take a break from current continuity to give you a special Swamp Thing Reign Tie in showing Alec back in his early days as The Swamp Thing as he encounters The Kryptonian Avatar of The Green! In January we jump into our first arc of our brand new story line showing the Aftermath of Battlefield: Louisiana in War Torn!**


	12. Issue 12- Reign of Krypton Part 1

**Swamp Thing #12 - Reign of Krypton Part 1**

**By James Brady**

**Writer's Note: This issue is set far before the current Swamp Thing story line, sort of like a mini prequel.**

* * *

><p><strong>Krypton, 25 Year Ago<strong>

The Avatar watches the metallic jungle known as Argo City from far on the mountainsides of Krypton. He feels his influence over the vast jungle and swamp lands of Krypton flex as he increases the amount of CO2 being produced and then decreases it like pumping lungs. He feels the bodies around him, fellow Kryptonians who have sided with the great Avatar, a great Kryptonian tradition till technology caught up with them. Their numbers are small but ancient living together in small communities. The Avatar feels the air around him as he spreads his great wings before reconsidering and contracting them.

"Avatar." A tribesman says stepping towards him. "We are ready. We wait your command."

"I am unsure it is the right time, Li'Har. They're powerful, their reach is far. I can't see inside their city. It has been so long. I have no idea what technological and military prowess they contain. They could be gods now all we know."

"Avatar I trust your judgment implicitly but please, we haven't made contact with the City Dwellers for over a thousand years. We probably no longer speak the same language, but they need to know of the terrible affects they're having on our planet. They must know of the problems their drills are causing in the core of the planet. They must be informed before it is too late."

"You are, Li'Har. I don't wish for you, my loyal followers to be harmed during the-" BWAKAM!

Li'Har's head explodes throwing brains and blood in a sudden shock wave of energy. The followers begin to panic and rush off in all directions with many of them also being killed by the shock waves. The Avatar grows large spikes all over his body and has roots explode from the ground. A huge Kryptonian Assault Ship lifts high above the mountain with huge Zeta Cannons all aimed on The Avatar. The doors of the ship ripple away to reveal a large man in power armour stepping out into the sunlight. He then leaps onto the mountain 5 feet away from The Avatar, followed by a huge tank like man and a slender but dangerous woman both dressed in impressive military armour. All of them hold Sonic Rifles. The leader steps forward.

"By The Nightwing, what could this be, Kelex?"

A small robot drone floats beside The Leader.

"This is The Avatar, General Zod. Once thought to be a myth worshipped by Ancient Kryptonian tribes for years but has since been abandoned to a thing of the past since 3,000 Kr. He and his tribe of natives have been spotted by our drones over the past three weeks patrolling through the jungles and mountain ranges around Argo City. The Avatar is believed to be an extremely dangerous force, sir. Caution is advised."

"Hrm. I thought this would be fun." Zod replies.

He turns back to the Avatar who seems to be shouting at them in a language he cannot understand. He rolls his head towards Kelex.

"Translate him will you. He seems to be speaking in ancient Argonian."

"You killed them!" The Avatar bristles with anger.

"They're un-evolved savages siding with a dangerous ally. It is no loss to Krypton."

"We came in peace, you bastard!"

"I'm not a peace talker, Green Man. Now if you're quite finished, you can either hand yourself over to us now, or we will take you by force and hunt down the rest of your uncivilised animal friends and have them killed also."

The Avatar looks towards the huge cannons mounted on the side of the Assault Ship and feels the writhing anger of the green beneath his feet.

"I'll hand myself to you." He says with a gasp. "But you must listen to me first; all of Krypton is in great danger. I can feel at this very moment your drills deep into the Earth and it is causing great instability to the Core. If you continue with your drilling the planet's core could become unstable and combust! You take the drills out now."

"Yeah?"

Zod turns and looks at his fellow soldiers.

"Did you two know about this?"

"No sir. I don't really keep up to current affairs too much though." Faora says.

"Dunno." Nam Ek replies.

"Excellent." Zod says turning back to the Avatar. "Have him sedated."

The Avatar is suddenly overwrought with agony all over his body as he feels plants crying and screaming in his ear as the panic begins to settle into his body, all over like a psychic rash. He falls to his knees, the stabbing tearing sensation all over his body. He tries to jump to another body but concentration just makes the pain worse. He is powerless till he eventually gives out and collapses.

* * *

><p><strong>2013, Earth, Louisiana<strong>

"I haven't... slept in weeks... This... new body of mine is slow but... never tired... I feel strong but... at the same time tireless... Abbie has been coming more... often now... and... I like it... when she's here... She brings me food and water... but I can't seem to digest it... and I usually end up having... to pull it out of my stomach... a few days later as it just begins to... rot inside of me... I like the way she looks at me like I'm... normal..."

Swamp Thing stops and looks down at the water he's sitting in. He lifts some moss from the murky water and tries desperately to feel it's sensation before dropping it back in the water. He looks over to Abbie, as she finishes writing the last thing he said.

"I'm... sorry about that." He murmurs.

"About what?" Abbie says looking at him from the notepad. She wears a light t-shirt and jeans with the ends rolled up to her knees. A flower sits perfectly in her pale white curly hair that is currently tied up in a bob. She sits on the banking on the small pond above Swamp Thing as he lies in the water.

"I shouldn't have said... what I said... I didn't mean... to make it awkward..."

"No it's fine. I'm glad you um, appreciate the way I look at you, I suppose. You look really nice at the moment. Is it a summer thing? The flowers?"

"I have no idea... Abbie. I've... only been like this for a ...few weeks now. You think... I'll adapt to my surroundings?"

"Yeah. You seem to be able to re grow parts of your body and things seem to grow around you sometimes. It makes sense you'll change depending on the time of year. "

"I can feel... photosynthesis... happening inside of me. The light… rejuvenating my body."

"Could you make me an apple? Have you ever tried growing fruit before?"

"I've never tried… growing anything… before except… healing parts of my body."

He stands up with water splashing off him and plopping back into the pond. He rose out his hand and tries to imagine an apple as hard as he can. He scrunches up his face but nothing seems to happen as he starts growing thick thorns across his body as he begins to take a bark like quality.

Abbie begins to laugh as he looks a bit ridiculous covered in the thorns and bark while scrunching his face up and gritting his teeth. Suddenly the thorns turn into bright pink blossoms all over his body and Abbie stands in the pond, astonished. She begins to notice the trees around her with pink petals fall all around them. Swamp Thing continues to try and grow out the fruit, curled forward his hand still trying to create an apple. When suddenly BWOOF!

Abbie looks up to see the petals all falling from the trees, apples begin to rain down around them Swamp Thing, who is now covered in apples from his own body, takes Abbie under his arm and leads her away from the hailstorm of apples as they all fall from the tree. The get away from the pond and crouch under a tree as they watch the hundreds of apples and pollen begin to cover the small pond falling with loud sploshed into the water.

"Is that enough... for you... Abbie?" Swamp Thing asks.

They both look at each other and begin to laugh as they hold each other. They look into each other's eyes for a few moments feeling scared but also extremely intimate.

"I... I... Abbie..." Swamp Thing begins before Abbie cuts him off.

"I… uh, think the apples have stopped um raining."

"Yeah... I suppose they have..."

Abbie gets up and grabs her notepad. He resets her bob on her head before looking over at Swamp Thing.

"I'd best get going. Great stuff today by the way. This is always really interesting, Alec."

"Okay... I'll see you tomorrow or... whatever."

"Bye, Alec."

She goes to pat him on the shoulder before grabbing her shoes and leaves. He watches her as she goes till she's out of sight. He looks at the cracked apples lying all around him.

* * *

><p><strong>The Phantom Zone, 25 Years ago, 4 Days Later<strong>

Unconsciousness isn't something The Avatar has felt for almost 20 thousand years and now it's struck him. He bubbles back to consciousness but his every instinct is different. He's not on Krypton anymore. He feels the life around him, almost inexistence but he can still feel the null void left by technology around him. As he grows back into consciousness he feels that he cannot move his limbs. His eyes pop open as he realises that he's being constrained in a large machine with wires sticking into his body. He look around to see Kryptonian Scientists walking around a large laboratory, taking samples from his body and putting them in small jars.

"He's conscious." One of the Scientists says looking over at The Avatar. "Should we call security?"

Another scientist replies, "No. We've got the samples we need. He's powerless off world anyway."

"Where am I? Why can't I feel The Green?"

"You can't feel the Green because there's no Green left to feel." One of the Scientists says stepping toward him. "Krypton is dead."

"Dead?"

"Yes. It turns out you were correct. Krypton's Core was unstable but something went "wrong" with our machines and the drill's got out of control and caused the core to combust. You happy now?"

"You brought this upon yourselves, you know."

"Oh we know, and we've reaped the consequences, dearly green man."

"Where are we?"

"The Phantom Zone; a pocket dimension we used to use for Interstellar travel but turns out to contain land inside of it of which where we are know."

"What did you just take from me?"

"DNA. We're going to attempt to recreate your ability to grow materials to help us grow food. We could be trapped in the Phantom Zone forever now, may as well make the most of it."

"Allow me to go. I wish you no harm. I don't suppose anything matters anymore."

"Probably doesn't."

* * *

><p><strong>Now, The Phantom Zone<strong>

The Avatar sits high on one of the mountains of The Phantom Zone meditating. His body has grown thinner and less exotic look after the years without the Green. He sits calmly looking away from the Kryptonian Settlement down below him. He hears a young voice call to him.

"Avatar! Mister Green! The Council wants to talk to you!"

"Tell them I'm busy."

"They say it's very important. They say it has something to do with a New Planet!"

"... Does this planet have life on it?"

"I think they said things live there. They said something about making it into a new Krypton."

The Avatar gets to his feet atop the ridge and looks down onto the settlement. He sees the young boy dressed in Kryptonian Casual ware looking up at him.

"You coming or what? ... Sir?"

Suddenly, without warning, The Avatar falls gracefully from his perch down the side of the mountain. The child watches in horror as he is about to his the ground when he suddenly for the first time in years, sprouts magnificent wings and flies off towards the Settlement.

"Hey! C'mon! Don't leave me here."

The Avatar lands outside of the small Kryptonian Tower as troops mobilise around him and the people. No one pays any notice of The Avatar. He enters the tower and walks through a door to see the Council sitting around a table. Zod and Jor-El's seats are empty.

"Hello. You wanted to see me, Council men?"

"Ah, Avatar." An old bearded man says standing up. "According to General Zod, the Phantom Zone was opened on another planet that has suitable living conditions for Krypton, however when the time is right, we want you to go to this land and using your powers to terraform it, to make it seem exactly like Krypton. A new Krypton."

"Very well. Are we expecting any resistance?"

"There are some primitive life forms on the Planet, but I believe we shall be able to cultivate them quickly. This terraformation should help a lot with this process."

"Anything to get back in contact with the Green, Councilman, without it I feel... starved... parched all these years."

"Now now Avatar, we will all be restored shortly."

* * *

><p><strong>Earth, The Arctic Circle:<strong>

The Avatar surrounded by The Council steps out onto the frozen land and almost instantly connects with the Green, like a beacon of light finally seeing the sun after sailing through endless darkness for years, but this sun is different. It interacts with him in different ways and he doesn't feel fully accepted into the fold. He outstretches his arms and his fingers become long tendrils that burrow deep down through the ice, into the water and to the depths of the sea. The tendrils burrow further until they meet life, algy living at the bottom of the floor and he's in.

He falls through the cracks of the green like a little blue sinking pebble watching out for the ruins of large sinking ships. This green is a mess; there is no segregation between plant life and human life... they live in harmony like some kind of symbiotic hybrid... The Avatar connects himself to a root of life and follows it to a large swirling Galaxy of energy that seems to be at the centre of the Corps. He squints his eyes and see's a man, a tall skinny blonde human at the centre of the nebulous. This is their Avatar.

The Avatar snaps out of his trance like state and turns to the Council.

"Well... what did you see Avatar?"

"I found their Green. It's far more different than the one I dealt with back on Krypton, and it needs to be eviscerated and remade for it to be compatible with our needs. It will take time, but I should be able to designate the segregated areas over time, however, they currently possess and Avatar thus meaning I won't be able to construct this new version of The Green. He is a young avatar and doesn't seem too advanced as of yet. I shall deal with him swiftly."

The Avatar gets to his feet, spreads his wings and flies off into the Sky.

* * *

><p><strong>Louisiana, Swamps<strong>

"It's been… a couple of days… now, and Abbie hasn't returned. Was it something … I said? Was it… something I did? Oh don't… fool yourself. It's because of… the way you look, a massive… pile of moss… and grass and mud all… slapped together to be… the cruellest joke… the planet's ever seen."

He stares at his ugly reflection in the water before getting up again and wandering off into the Swamps.

"The only time I ever feel… normal is when Abbie looks at me… or when I lie down… and pretend to sleep at night. When I'm at… peace I can… feel some great kind… of powerful sensation writhing in… the ground beneath me… but also all around me, in the trees… and in the soil and… in the air, like some kind of life force… and I feel a part of it. I feel like I'm one… with this life force… but I don't quite understand the language… it's speaking to me. I don't quite understand… the way it wants me to interact with it. I should try… and develop my powers. When… I grew all those apples with Abbie… I felt that force… like sensation around me. I wonder… what else I can do… given the right concentration. Maybe I could... grow a chair?"

Swamp Thing reaches out his arm and begins to envision a chair, with legs and arms woven together with wood and bark used for the back to support it and maybe it could rock back and forth.

Swamp Thing steps back and looks at the mess he's created; it looks like someone tried to draw a chair while not looking at the page, the arms are sticking out at different angles and the legs are all over the place.

Swamp Thing is about to try again when he suddenly feels something come over him, a great powerful shockwave of psychic energy pass over him, it's the nighttimes sensation but channelled into a painful force. He falls to his knees and clutching his head before he throws his head back to see a blip in the sky coming towards him at break neck speeds.

WHAMBOWM!

Trees and earth are thrown into the air for about 100 Meters apart leaving a huge crater in the ground. Swamp Thing hurtles to the ground covered in his own fluids and lands with a loud BAM! He tries desperately to get oxygen into his synthesised lungs but nothing seems to be working in his body. He watches as the forest he once knew rains down around him. He tries to get to his knees but everything is wrought with pain. He stumbles through the crater trying to see through the huge dust clouds all around him. He soon realises that his body is healing again as he feels a new lenses grow over his eyes allowing him to see in through the dust. The green feels closer than ever now. He walks calmly through the dust till he seems a huge man made of exotic looking alien plants, he is almost throbbing with power as he stares at his hands feeling the new power that has been bestowed upon him by the photosynthesis. He has huge powerful wings that slowly fall and lose their texture and become a long extravagant cape.

Swamp Thing approaches him his fists up ready to fight. The Avatar turns slowly to greet him.

"Ah... Planet Earth's Avatar of The Green."

"Why did you… destroy my home? You… will pay for that!"

"Don't try and battle me, I know all about you Alec Holland; a young scientists working to try and take the Green and bend it to the will of mankind and thus became The Avatar of the Green for your arrogance. I find it disgusting that they chose you, but I suppose Earth's Green doesn't have that fantastic of a selection of Avatars as they seem to go through them like falling leaves."

The Avatar begins to stroll in a circle around Swamp Thing with his arms calmly behind his back, his cape following by his heels.

"On my planet I have been the unchallenged Avatar of The Green for thousands of years. I've watched Krypton become the war mongering civilisation that it is today and I sat and bided my time, but now I am here and I've been without The Green for far too long you see."

"Why are you… telling me all this?"

"Because I want you to understand who I am and why I'm about to what I'm about to do."

"What you're… about to do… is leave!"

The Avatar stops circling and looks at Swamp Thing.

"Come then. Force me to leave."

Swamp Thing rushes towards The Avatar and begins to punch him in the face with all his strength, The Avatar backs away allowing the hits to be made as blood begins to be thrown from his mouth with the blood growing small Kryptonian plants as they hit the ground. Swamp Thing punches till he's exhausted. The Avatar stands to his full height and looks down on Swamp Thing.

"I haven't bled in 3 thousand years, little Avatar. Excellent job, but your best wasn't enough, I'm afraid."

Swamp Thing tries to begin to reason with The Avatar but before he can The Avatar's cape turns back to wings that raise high above his head before coming down like kitchen knives cutting Swamp Thing's arms clean off. He cries out in pain with the next thing he knows is that with his left knife wing the Avatar has cut Swamp Thing's legs off and with the other wing which have now turned into thin strips of thick fabric are stabbing into Swamp Thing holding him up above the ground.

"Oh little Avatar... if only they had told you..."

Swamp Thing yells in pain as The Avatar plunges his hand inside of Swamp Thing's chest. He sees a bright green light coming from under his skin as he yells even louder, completely powerless under The Avatar's reign. Life soon falls from him like a leaf from a tree and he falls limply to the ground as the Avatar spreads his wings out to the side.

"Yes..." The Avatar whispers.

* * *

><p><strong>Next: The Conclusion to Swamp Thing: Reign! <strong>


	13. Issue 13- Reign of Krypton Part 2

**Swamp Thing Issue 13**

**REIGN Part 2**

**By James Brady**

**Writer note: This issue and the previous one takes place years before the current Swamp Thing series is set. The next issue will be back to the regular schedule of releases.**

* * *

><p><strong><span>Lousiana, Swamps<span>**

People gather around the edges of the swamps and watch in fear. The once sleepy and dormant willow trees of the swamp have changed. The soil in which the wildlife rises from has changed. The wildlife has changed. The entire eco system of the Louisianan swamps has changed and soon will be the entire planet. The people exit their small homes in the drowsy town of Houma and look up, to see the great, vast, flamboyant and radical jungle that shadows their small town. A leafy green metropolis stands in the swamps place and it is here as a small taster, a small sample of what is too come. The police have set up a line holding the people back as small rescue teams traverse the strange, alien planet to help any people that may still be trapped inside.

Abbigale Arcane watches with astonished eyes as she watches the vast, teeming organism in both terror and affection as she mutters the word, "Alec" softly under her breath. She rides her bike away from the gathering crowd and finds a place next to the main road where no one can see as she slips away into the dark undergrowth.

**Deep in the heart of the Kryptonian Jungle**

The Avatar dips into the Green like getting into a freezing cold bath. His limbs seize up around him as he enters the alien web. He sinks like a stone through it, falling but gaining mass and power as he enters the ancient Green. It's all different yet feels familiar, like walking into your house that has been complete re-decorated. He straddles the line between The Kryptonian Green and The Earth Green as he forges his own domain in between the two, churning out the soil as he warps the Green to his whim. Great leaves pile around him, creating layer after layer around his body, cocooning him away in his crafting room as he works.

**The Green**

"The papers called me... the Swamp Thing... I was Alec Holland... I was a... scientist... I wanted to make the... the world a... better place... I wanted to create a... formula... that would encourage... plant growth... By experiment was sabotaged... and my lab exploded... I became this... thing... a mass of plants and mud... wrapped together around what used to be... my body... A man... who looked like me... with big wings... and strange plants all over his body... arrived in the Swamp and... tore my body to pieces... Now I assume... I am dead and this... is my afterlife. I feel nothing... I have no body... I am just a mind... I feel sensations in my brain... I can feel something around me... a great force of energy... that I used to feel connected to... when I was the Swamp Thing... I feel it strong now... all around me... I have no idea how long I've been here... My mind keeps wandering like... I'm in between sleep and... Consciousness... thoughts getting entangled together... I can't seem to keep a cohesive thought in my brain... and now... I am just telling myself... my story... over... and over again..."

Alec Holland's mind lies a scattered mass throughout the Green, like a splatter of blood that somehow has some recollection of what it once was and once felt. It writhes about blindly attempting to feel something and all it can feel, is everything, every stem, every root, every vine and every drop of sweet fresh H20 that sinks into the dark deep soil.

The Parliament watch as their proud avatar lies strewn all over the Green like torn up pieces of paper and tut to one another about what to do. An African Female Parliament Member kneels down to take a closer look at the Avatar.

"And we had such high hopes for this one and look at what the mess he's made." She snarks.

"Silence, Lou." A Celtic Warrior Parliament Member rumbles. "He was nowhere near ready to be able to defend against a threat like this and neither are we. Compared to the green that this Avatar has brought from his planet, we are but infants, dabbing out palms in dirt when it comes to governing the Green."

"This Avatar must be dealt with immediately." A Velociraptor Parliament member replies. "Allow me to take the temporary form of Avatar and I shall tear his influence out by the roots."

"Nay." The African Woman replies. "What of this Alien Avatar? Our purpose is to advance the Green, why not join forces with him. We may rule the Red and The Rot with his power and experience behind us."

"And what if he betrays us?" A Samurai replies. "What if he turns around and replaces us with his own parliament? What if he fails and then we shall have a war on our hands unlike ever before? We know well of The Red's plans for their next evolution of Avatar with the Baker girl and the Rot always have that nasty but resourceful Anton Arcane up their sleeve."

"I don't think we are ready to give up on this Avatar just yet. We've put considerable effort in his creation and leaving him now would be nothing but a waste. Bring him a new body and allow him to take a shot at the Alien. If not we can explore other options." The Celtic replies.

"All in favour?" The African Woman asks.

The Parliament psychically vote, with Aye being the majority vote.

"Very well then." The Celtic replies.

Alec feels his body be scraped from the strands connecting the green together, the sinew and veins of his mind, snapping back into place like lego bricks. The strange sensation drags Alec up towards the parliament.

He feels eyes bulging out of his skulls allowing him to see them, great sensible looking being, once mortal now statuette demi-gods.

"You are Alec Holland. You have been chosen as the avatar of the Green. You will return to the mortal plane and you will destroy this threat." Of the parliament says.

"I—I The... Green?"

"Yes an ancient life force that guides plant life. We have chosen avatars since our inception as a way to govern our will when need be. You have been our avatar and you've only just began to tap the mountain that is your potential."

"How do... I beat it? The other... Avatar? The Kryptonian?"

"Prove your worth to us, Avatar. Prove that you deserve to continue to live as our Avatar by destroying this threat. If not we shall be forced to side with it."

"Side... with the... Krytponian?"

"Yes. He is a worthy ally and may help improve our positioning against the factions of Red and Rot."

"Red... and Rot?"

"You shall learn of them in due time avatar. Now return to the surface and do our bidding."

Swamp Thing feels his mind shoot upwards like it's been fired out of the rocket. He feels his essence curl up and string out again, as his peaks and flows like a river going at 70mph.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Swamps, Louisiana <span>**

Abbie makes her way through the strange jungle stepping over weird moving vines and cutting her way through see through leaves with a bread knife. As she makes her way through the blitz of scenery a pair of large inhuman eyes crease seeing her fleshy figure. The ribbed shoulders part as it brings itself to its stem legs. The mane rustles slightly with every movement as the beast draws nearer, calculating every possible mode of attack as the photosynthesis works it's magic. The creature's fleshy green body transforms to the purple of a nearby bush, blending it into its surrounding's perfectly as Abbie continues on oblivious to the great Lemon tiger following her every step.

Abbie hears a faint low, noise around her when it's upon her.

The beast pins her to the ground as its jaw elongates and widens, as it row upon row of sharp bark teeth peak out towards her. She yells as it's claws begin to dig into her shoulders and the creature's saliva drips down onto her shirt, it's smell causing her nostrils to fare and eyes to water profusely like the snorting chilli peppers. The creature's wait is suddenly lifted from her as strict vines snap around it's arms, legs and neck, drawing it up into the air. The Lemon Tiger struggles when it suddenly calms as it's writhing chest opens like a bag of peanuts and it's innards fall out like the last few drops of snow.

Abbie heaves heavily trying to retain her breath when suddenly she feels gentle vines around her lifting her into the air. She passes through the tree line then feel suction against her back as thin seeder plants with small windmills at the top grasp her and carry her along on the wind to the centre.

She looks down to see what looks to be a strange multicoloured beating, constricting and relaxing organ of pure vegetative life, connected to thousands of roots all around it. She is brought over it and then dropped. She yells out when the organ parts to allow her inside. To her surprise she finds herself in a strange green liquid which she can somehow breathe in. She looks around for a way out when she suddenly realises the liquid is being drained out, pulling her further and further down to the centre.

She sees a small cocoon in the middle with a baby attached to with an umbilical cord. As the water drains the baby grows from a foetus to a toddler to a teen and finally to an adult when the water is all but gone. It lands with a fleshy thud, on its feet and looks up to see the soaking wet Abbie panting before him. He is taller than any man Abbie has ever met with a body like a swimmer. His skin is a pale green and has strange thick flowers growing from his cheeks up past his forehead, which his dark eyes peer through two tiny holes. His mouth has deep divides in the flesh going both up wards and down wards with a few of these divides across the rest of his body. He begins to walk over to her.

"Do not be alarmed, I am speaking to your physically, you swallowed one of my spores when I brought you in here." He says casually.

"...Alec is that you? What's happened?"

"Alec Holland is dead, I want to know who you are."

"I'm... Abigail Arcane... who are you?"

"I am quite simply The Avatar. I come from the planet Krypton to help save my world I must terra-form yours to match the needs of our own."

"I assume that will involve mass murder..."

"Most likely, I am merely happy to have a Green to care for once more; I have no interest in your eradication. Please, tell me about earth. I want to know everything."

* * *

><p><strong><span>Louisiana, Houma<span>**

From the terracotta vase of a tiny cactus comes the Swamp Thing. His roots rise from the jar and spool out like tread across the living room carpet as he takes shape. Covered in pines and needles he forms a new callus and sturdy body. He feels his feet flat against the floor boards and looks down at his new hands and arms.

"Alright..." He murmurs to himself. He walks over to the window and climbs out. He leaps out and quickly grows layers under his arms allowing him to glide for a couple of seconds, slowing his fall till he descends into the Swamp unnoticed as an enemy agent descends into Nazi Germany, his new body feels firm and tough, ready to accomplish his mission, Kill the Avatar.

* * *

><p><strong><span>The Organ, Centre of the Swamps.<span>**

"Earth is a planet in the milky way galaxy, we orbit a yellow sun and have 7 recognised continents, we are currently in the one called North America. North America was founded by settlers who spread over the landscape, claiming much of it as their own. My family come from Germany and moved here almost a hundred years ago. I was born and spent most of life in Europe until moving to America to go to College. I worked as a children's psychologist for years and eventually moved to Louisiana to get a job in a home for severely Austic children. I like, the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, The Beach Boys and Arcade Fire. I like films but I'm not a huge fan. My favourite novels are Pride and Prejudice, The Kite Runner and Lolita. I like walks, cycling and I'm pretty good on the Piano."

"Krypton is a planet in Sector 9320, we orbit a red sun and have 13 recognised citadels, scattered across the known universe. I was born on the home planet of Krypton 3 thousand years ago to by birth parents, both primordial beings whom I have no recollection of. I was burnt badly in my childhood and was buried in an shallow grave by my parents. 16 circulations later I re emerged as the Avatar of the green, fully born. I watched the Kryptonian species as they rose from uncivilised beings to founding the greatest intergalactic empire the galaxy had ever seen. I allowed them precedence over to expand till it was too late and I knew it had gone too far once they had began to drill into the Earth's core, mining away for their precious Kryptonite. I was arrested attempting to warn them and brought here to Earth. "

The Avatar disconnects their minds with a wave of his fist and Abbie snaps back to reality.

"Fascinating." He murmurs.

"Wow... that was... weird."

"Humanity is strange. Nothing like Kryptonian, so unique and multifaceted... I wish to learn more."

"Well... um you could use the internet..."

"Tell me about music."

"Okay but could you tell me where Alec is first? And then I'll tell you whatever you wish to know."

"I killed him but I do believe he is currently thrashing through my jungle towards us as we speak."

"Can I see him?"

"Tell me about... Simon and Garfunkle, please."

* * *

><p><strong><span>The Swamps<span>**

Swamp Thing snaps the neck of the 3rd Lemon Tiger and gets to his feet, dusting the mud off his body. He ventures onto the Organ seeing it writhe before him. He looks to his hand and concentrates. The next thing he knows he's turned it into a large sword like appendage. He pierces the fleshy folds of The Organ and steps through the gushes of green blood into the centre. He looks to see Abbi and the Avatar sitting on the ground talking.

"Pardon me a second." He turns to Swamp Thing and bellows "OUT!"

In a second bladed vines and shoots spring from the walls of The Organ and towards Swamp Thing. They barrel towards him ready to tear his new body apart but Swamp Thing casually says,

"Stop..." The vines stop mid air and fall limply to the ground.

"What?" The Avatar shouts.

"I am... The Avatar of the... Green, Avatar. Not you. I control... this planet's vegetative ...life. I will not be... usurped."

"It is true... I am not the Avatar of the... Green... I... failed..."

As Swamp Thing walks towards him, large flowers bloom from his chest shoulders and see start falling from his body.

"Alec," Abbi says as she sees the death glare in Swamp Things eyes. "Just listen to him. You don't have to fight..." She pleads.

"Please...You... I... I don't want to fight you." The Avatar murmers. "I don't want to destroy Earth. I will help you fight them. Abbi has taught me of Earth, all the wonderful art that you create and how you and plant life have a symbiotic relationship. This is what I've always wanted. Not a segregated world of -"

Swamp Thing suddenly plunges his arm into the Avatars chest.

"I... don't... care!" He yells, stabbing him again and again till he's a mess on the floor. Swamp Thing looks to Abbi and shakes his head slightly, before looking around slightly confused. He walks over to take her in his arms but she shouts at him.

"Get off me!" She yells. "You didn't have to kill him! Get off." Swamp Thing puts his arms around her and grows a small cocoon around her as the walls of the organ begin to crumble and fall apart. The masses of fleshy plant matter collapses around them in huge chunks that Abbi can hear crashing against the side of the tiny cocoon Swamp Thing's made around each other, drowning out the sound of her tears.

15 Minutes later the crashing and collapsing has stopped and Swamp Thing retracts the cocoon around them. They look to see the swamp completely levelled and there is nothing for miles around but turned up soil.

"I'm... sorry Abbi. I was tasked to... kill him... I think The Green.."

"I don't care, Alec! What you did was violent and ignorant. I always thought you were gentle and kind but what I saw you do in there... it was disgusting. I can't... I can't be with you until you decide what you are!"

"I am... Alec..."

"Come back when you believe that."

She walks away across the empty mounds of dirt and soil. Swamp Thing watches till she's out of sight and then lies down. He lets his mind wander back into the Green, back to where it's safe and he feels wanted.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Calcutta, India<span>**

A woman yells out in pain and anguish as she feels her husband's hand tightly around hers. The sweat pours down her forehead as the doctor yells, "Push! One More Push!" In a sudden moment all the pain is gone as she feels a great weight lifted from her. The doctor pulls out the tiny baby and quickly wraps it in a cloth. It takes its first breath and opens is deep green eyes to the world.

* * *

><p><strong>Next Issue: We return to the regular Swamp Thing story line starting with a brand new arc, War Torn. Edward is the new Avatar of the Green. Alec and the Avatars are reborn but as what? Abigail Arcane: Hero of Louisiana.<strong>


	14. Issue 14- War Torn Part 1

**Swamp Thing**

**War Torn Part 1**

**Issue 14 By James Brady**

* * *

><p><strong>Previously In Swamp Thing:<strong>

Soon after restoring Earth's eco system after the international vegetation disaster caused by the creators of the Green, Cantacium took his place as the new Avatar of the Green, swapping places with the newly resurrected Alec Holland in the Green. Meanwhile, forces brewed as the US Government had Amanda Waller oversee the creation of an assassination team made to take down Swamp Thing as we well as take the Green under their control. However Amanda Waller assigned the help of the also newly resurrected, Edward Holland, Alec's older brother who was originally destined to be the avatar of the Green. He spear headed the group alongside Dr. Leo Quintum in their creation of The Green Team. With the help of militarised Superhero, Captain Atom, the Green Team was to infiltrate the Louisiana Swamps and capture Swamp Thing. However, Cantacium re grew himself quickly and was able to defeat the Green Team while Abbie Arcane, the Avatar of the Rot handled Captain Atom. Meanwhile in the Green Alec Holland discovered a strange blue force controlling the Parliament of the Green and enlisted the help of a group of ex-Avatars to overthrown the possessed parliament. On Earth, infuriated by their loss of the Green Team, Edward Holland had Amanda Waller hand power over to him and he set off to Louisianan to handle what he thought was his brother, himself. Meanwhile in the Green, Alec and the Avatars were defeated by the Green and had their minds send off away from the Green. Edward arrived in Louisianan in a Green Powered mech suit and after a brutal battle took, Cantacium down. This allowed him to take over as the Avatar of the Green.

I was Alec Holland. Desperately blinking like the muzzle of a sawed off shot gun, we fall upwards from the dark crevasses of where we came from. Our skins sheds and our bodies mould and crease and spiral around us like a hula-hoop of shredded paper as we fall. I remember who I was, who I wanted to be and what I thought, my memories pouring down the back of my neck and into the spine like treacle, as we fall. Sex vanishes from existence for a few short nanoseconds as the light bends it's way into my retinas, scorching them forever more, as we fall. I fell through night and day, life and death, good and evil as my body rose from what I once knew and never knew.

They're beside me now falling upwards towards the light, it blinds us as we see it for the first time and from that moment onwards, everything became, one.

* * *

><p><strong>Cadmus, Oklahoma<strong>

High above the skies of the Cadmus research lab a man with thin wooden wings and a sturdy lanky bark body with patches of moss floats through the skies over Broxton, Oklahoma. The green contacts him and draws him down to the Cadmus base of which he's in search of, remembering hints of his past life, Edward Holland, talented and driven botanist of the future. He feels the lack of plant life that he can take root in, inside the facility and instead decides to take the more direct approach.

He dive bombs the entrance and starts tearing the place apart. Turrets light up his body with stun darts, freeze grenades, plastic formation clay, electric stun bullets, rubber bullets, high calibre sniper bullets, grenades and eventually rocket launchers. Each attack Edward either shrugs off or merely grows himself a new body from the legion of plants he's had grow their way into the base from outside. He tosses security guards aside as he continues onwards further into the lab.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Meanwhile<span>**

Amanda Waller stands with her ear to her phone ready to scream as she's put on hold AGAIN. She glances to the small platoon of heavy duty Cadmus guards standing at the doors to containment hall which they've managed to lock, themselves in, security regulation in case of an attack. Each of the guards have Cadmus grade armour and weaponry, she knows they don't stand a chance. She glances to the Green Plant Logo, the Green Team logo, something she knows she's put faar too much effort into. Behind her are rows of small cots each of them holding men and women wearing white cheap cotton tops and trousers, all shaved headed and with a green UV drip in their arms. They lie motionless, with every now and again one of them having their organs fully fail and having a short seizure before death.

An artificially friendly voice pops into Waller's ear.

"Oh Miss Waller? I didn't know it was you. I do apologise for putting you on hold there. How can I help you?"

"Cut the chat Kathy, get me a Super down here immediately."

"Um... most of our operatives are busy at the moment. I could possibly lend you... Bulleteer?"

"Kathy, I need fire power understand? Get me the biggest hitter you can right now or I'm going to Venus fly trap fodder understand?"

"Alright. Didn't you request Captain Atom not long ago now? What happened to him?"

"He was crap. Now get someone better!"

"Yes m-."

Waller hangs up and looks over to see the security guards looking prepared for an attack, their state of the art rifles at the ready as they hear the crashes and explosions coming from outside. Suddenly the 5 inch steel walls are torn down as vines escape from the crevasses around the room, tearing the steel away as they grow. The guards attempt to shoot the roots down but they grow back and strike faster than the guards can retaliate. Quickly, Amanda Waller is the last person left standing as the roots surround her. She notices how none of them have touched the comatosed patients. From the torn off door strides in a man made out of thick barky like substance with crescent shaped horns around his temples and a deep dark look in his eyes as the roots seem to coalesce around him like planets around a sun.

"Miss Waller." It seethes.

"Holland. I assumed you'd be here soon. Maybe not this soon though, I had hopes that Edward's assault wouldn't have been an entire train crash of an operation."

Suddenly, vines strap themselves around Waller's neck and pull her backwards.

"My brother is DEAD! Understand! I am Edward. I killed Alec and took the position of Avatar for myself!" He says, towering over her as she feels her wind pipe open and close.

He releases her from the vine's grip and she falls to the floor choking.

"I succeeded in our plan Waller. Now I assume your order of business would now be the evacuation of all major cities on Earth."

"What?" She chokes. "Are you talking about?!"

"My plans for my new position as Avatar of the Green of course. I assume you'd understand that, Miss Waller."

"That wasn't... the plan!" She splutters.

"The plan?"

"The deal... whatever. It was your job to apprehend the Swamp Thing body and hand it over as property of the United States Government. That was the plan."

"Ah yes. That... you didn't actually believe that I'd go along with that did you? I'm a man who's just achieved his destiny, did you seriously expect me to just suddenly hand that over to the Government?"

"The plan was to apprehend the body and in turn power of the green. You've gone off the rails son, now hand it over and make good on your deal. You start working for us or we take you down and have you stripped of you power once again."

Edward stares at her for a second, slightly taken aback by the immeasurable strength being displayed by the obese elderly woman.

"You're threatening me?" He asks with a sense of shock in his voice.

"Not me specifically but let's just say, I've got the Justice League on speed dial. Anything happens to me and you're up against them and, they've got this bad habit of not loosing, you see."

"I... I am a God. You do understand that right? I'm not some weapon, or some Superhero team member at your becand call- I have the power to send all of mankind back to the dark ages, if I hearby wanted to, do you understand?!" He says.

"I understand entirely and I couldn't care less. This isn't even the most intense threatening from a God like being, I've gotten this week. Now you can either sign yourself over now or I'm pretty sure the Superman would like a word with you."

Edward's fist clenches as he grows larger and taller towering over Waller even more than before.

"I WILL NOT TAKE THIS INSOLENCE FROM YOU! I OWE YOU NOTHING YOU STUBBY BUREACRAT! I AM A GOD AND I SHALL BE TREATED AS ONE."

Edward's body then disintegrates away and Waller is left stood there with an unsatisfied glare in her eyes.

I was a man, I had hopes and dreams and intelligence and fun. That is all I know. I lie in a circle of fragments of who I was deep beneath the surface of consciousness. I feel the tides full of scatter shot memories around me as every moment I swear I'm slipping further and further away from the surface. I feel nothing but muted green, all around me, liquid clogging up my veins dragging me further from the surface. I look down at my fragments, trying to remember my parents, or my childhood, or anything when suddenly without warning, they're all scattered, flung around again by a rude intruder. The intruder blitzes through the sea as it swims like a violent torpedo towards the surface.

I watch in horror as they break it and then in a single moment of awe and misery, I once again, am nothing...

* * *

><p><strong>Houma, Louisiana<strong>

Abbie floats over the skies of Houma in her Rot form as looks down at the wreacked blocks from the battle yesterday. She remembers how after Swamp Thing was defeated the copters retreated and Abbie was left to help the people of Houma out of the rubble of their lives. Now the cracked streets are lined with civilians all out talking cheerily like it's one of Louisiana's various summer festivals, but it's not. She sees the banners with the name, Arcana, Defender of Louisiana and drawings and images of herself on them.

"Wow..." She thinks to herself.

"I'd spit if I had lips and saliva." The Rot tells her.

"Shut up." She thinks back.

"This is a waste of time, Abbigale. I hate to say this but I'd rather we go find that shrubbery you call a boy friend than have to attend this pathetic honouring ceremony. They're all going to be stroking each other's ego's saying how good they were at getting the crap beaten out of them but a group of helicopters and cloud of Agent Orange. God people make me sick the way they honour their own weakness."

"I know there's no point in me trying to argue with you but if we can't honour our strength through weakness, then what do we have? Our weakness defines us almost more than our strength."

"Oh piss off. Strength is the only thing that matters and you know it. Power is all anyone ever wants, you either have it or you don't. Weakness doesn't even begin to factor in."

"Well I'm pretty sure your weakness defines you better than anyone."

"Me?"

"Yes."

"I'll indulge you. Why?"

"Well you used to be powerful, an ex-Avatar of the Rot during the Elizabethan Era, bringing plague throughout Europe. You must've been the most powerful avatar of the Rot ever but you fell due to medicine and vaccines before you were eventually replaced. You became weak but you didn't let your lack of power define you. You worked with future avatars and now you're my sort of, Claremontean narrator. You're weak and you've used that to continue your work and not let it hinder you moving forwards even in you moving forward is just figuring out new ways to create rot in the world. Now shut up and let me be a godamn Superhero."

She descends to a large stage in the centre of town were men and women from all over Louisiana have come to congratulate her. News crews stand at the side of the stage filming her. The mayor of Houma steps towards her and sticks his hand out. She lands and has the Rot armour move off of her hand revealing her human skin underneath as they shake hands. She looks to the applauding crowds and smiles as she does so.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of Houma! It gives me great honour to present to you, Louisiana's first home grown Superhero, Arcana!" The mayor announces.

She smiles as the crowd applaud again.

"Miss, thank you so much for coming down here today as we just had to let you know how pleased we are to have a hero fighting for the good people of Louisiana and to honour you for your magnificent work yesterday during the brutal Siege of our home town. Monsters roamed our streets just 24 hours ago, as a deadly and unknown Agent Orange attack besieged us causing the town to be evacuated with the help of Arcana here. We returned to find our wreacked streets and homes left by the rocket attacks by the helecopters but we stood together and helped start the re construction of our town with the help of Arcana. We've received payment of $40,000 in order to help rebuild our town. Today is the start ladies and gentlemen, of a new and improved Houma, with miss Arcana here to protect our fine state. Now. I believe you had a few words to say miss so please, take to the podium."

She steps up to the podium and looks out over the crowds.

"Hi. Um... I'd like to say a few words about our swamps. The swamps are home to such a great variety of natural wild life that can be found nowhere else on Earth. We are so lucky to live so close to vast array of vegetative and animal life as well as being the homes to so many residents. After the agent orange attack yesterday, large amounts of the swamps have been burnt down and I'm afraid there are areas of which were life will never grow again. I would like to start a campaign to help save what's left of our swamps today for a better Louisiana tomorrow. Thank you all so much for asking me to come down here and I'm so glad I was able to help."

The crowd cheer and she smiles back at them before leaving the stage.

* * *

><p>I am Alec Holland... I died and I returned and I died again and now...<p>

* * *

><p>Sweaty palms grasp the sides of the cot as they bodies inside them rattle and buckle under the pressure building inside them. Frantic scientists rush through the isle trying to keep the patients calm as so many of them are suddenly contracting in violent seizures. Frothing at the mouth as some of them start to bleed from their eyes, 13 of them all bolstering from their own bodies. Suddenly one of them sits up right shaking ever so slightly as he strained eyes bulge forwards with a gormless look on his face. He is an Eastern Asian man with a thin frame, dark hair and auburn eyes, drops of saliva pattern his Green Team logo shirt as he looks forwards. One of the Cadmus scientists rushes over to him.<p>

"Sir! Sir are you alright? Can you tell me what your name is?" He asks frantically.

"I... am Alec Holland..." He mumbles.

* * *

><p>To Be Continued...<p> 


	15. Issue 15- War Torn Part 2

**Swamp Thing**

**"****War Torn" Part 2**

**Issue 15 By James Brady**

* * *

><p><strong><span>High Above the clouds<span>**

Edward Holland hovers looking down at America before him, he feels as the people wander about their daily lives completely unaware of the power that he has over them all. He sighs as he looks down upon them and tenses his bark muscles around himself.

"So this is how God feels." He thinks to himself. "All the power over everyone and yet, I am benevolent, and yet I am the one who allows them to draw breath, who feeds them, who cares for them and yet... I could so easily crush them."

He feels his roots around the oil drills, the deforestation machines, the chemical pollution plants and the always hungry mouths of the world.

"Maybe it is time to exert myself a little..." He thinks before stretching his wings and taking off for San Diego.

**San Diego**

"Cliff! Come get your lunch!" Ellen Baker shouts after Cliff as he races back up stairs for the fourth time this morning. She turns to Buddy sitting on the kitchen counter looking over his phone eating a bowl of cereal, still dressed in his pyjamas.

"Buddy, could you get Maxine's toast? It's going to burn." She asks.

He reaches over and grabs the toast from toaster and starts buttering it while looking at his phone.

"What're you looking at, Daddy?" Maxine asks looking up from her toys she has strewn over the kitchen table.

"Uh just some tweets, sweetie. You want jam or peanut butter?"

"Peenit butter please, Daddy. Are the tweets about Animal Man?"

"Uh yeah, people seem to really like the new costume. Good call on the blue and white by the way."

"Yeah. It's waaaaay better than the blue and orange, Daddy. It looked really icky."

"I'll have to tell my publicist." He says handing Maxine her toast.

"Meh..." Cliff says walking into the room tapping at his phone. "You should get a utility belt like Batman or maybe some shoulder pads would be cool!"

"Why would I need a utility belt or shoulder pads for that matter?" Buddy asks.

"Cliff!" Ellen shouts from the other room. "You're going to miss your bus."

"Crap!" Cliff says grabbing his lunch box and rushing out the door.

"Language, young man!" Ellen shouts after him. "C'mon Maxine. Can you finish your toast in the car? Don't want you to be late alright?"

"Okay, Mommy."

"I'll see you when I pick you up, okay Maxine?" Buddy says.

"Yeah sure Daddy." She says giving him a hug before making her way to the front door to put her shoes on.

"Alright don't get in any trouble, okay?" Ellen says to Buddy while putting her jacket on.

"No promises." He jokes giving his wife a kiss on the cheek before she leaves the house with their daughter.

He finishes scrolling through Twitter before heading upstairs. He opens his closet and pulls out his Animal Man costume. He looks at the new design with a smirk before putting it on and heading out.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Cadmus Labs<span>**

More and more of the comatose patients having fits begin to reawaken and sit bolt upright in their cots as the Cadmus scientists attempt to calm them down.

"I am... Alec Holland..." The Asian man mutters again as sits upright in his cot, still shaking and shuddering with saliva frothing up around his mouth.

"Alec Holland?" The scientist next to him asks himself remembering the name from somewhere. He looks over to his superior who also is trying to calm the patients down.

"Dr. Quintum." He calls. "What do we do?!"

"Increase the morphine, should be able to calm down the pressure. I'm going back to the control room to figure out what's going on."

"You don't think this could have something to do with the Avatar showing up here?"

"It's un doubtable." He says before walking away.

The scientist turns back to the Asian man who claims to be Alec and is about to reach down to the morphine canister by his cot when he feels the Asian man's hand grab him.

"I am Alec Holland." He says staring the scientist in the eyes before punching the scientist in the head knocking him unconscious.

He gets out of the cot as he walks towards the torn down wall, passing the other Avatar as they reawaken in their new bodies and attack the scientists. A group of guards holding tranquilizer rifles yell at the avatars to stand down, as they begin to make their way in an almost trance like state.

"Open fire!" One of the guards yells as the tranq darts begin to fly through the air towards the avatars.

The guards look to see the 13 Avatars continuing to walk towards them.

"What the-?" Some of the guards murmur.

"Open fire again!" The leader shouts.

They shoot again to no result.

"What the hell are these things?" He shouts pulling out an electrified baton ready to attack them.

"Oh they're perfectly human, cherry blossom."

The guards turn around to see middle aged man in a shirt and tie with a trench coat. He has wavy bleach blonde hair on his head and a 5 o'clock shadow around the cigarette stuck in his mouth.

"I'm just making sure your sleepy sticks ain't hittin 'em. Jasmine the Deceiver's spell of Matter Transportaion, y'see."

"Stand down, sir!" The guard shouts at him.

"Nah mate. I really think you're the guys who should best stand down."

"Sir. I do not want to have to use force on you... but I will if you don't stand down, right now!"

"Was that a lick of fear in your All American thunder there pal?" He says strolling towards them. "Cos if you knew who I was there'd probably be a little bit more an' just a lick."

"Last chance, sir."

"G'wan then, love. Give us yer' bes shot, eh?"

The guard hesitates for a moment and then realises that the other guards are all watching him. He steps towards John and swings his baton at him. As he does so, the guard's face is struck with a smack of electricity and he falls backwards to the ground. He slowly sits up to see John standing unscathed taking a drag from his cigarette.

"What the hell was that?" The guard asked as another helps him to his feet.

"Ancient Lord Siddarthan's Incantation of Misdirection of Force, and that my good gents is just another one of my tricks in my goodie bag. The rest can be all yours for the low-low price of, you-continuing-to-stand-there-like-a-group-of-stupefied-numpties."

He takes another drag.

"So what's it gonna be? Cos by all means I can go all day."

The guards look to each other and decide to walk away.

The Avatars begin to walk up the steps towards John.

"Alright." He says stamping on the last of his cigarette and looking over to the Avatars. "Which one of you lot is, Alec Holland?"

The Avatars look to each other for a few seconds before the Asian Man steps forwards.

"I am Alec Holland."

"Heh. New look suits you, Alec." He says with a smirk.

He raises his hand and begins to chant an incantation under his breath.

"Siddahman-Rabanachi-Allor-MesSak-EssoTorrence-QrolMah..." Green light begins to pours out of his hand and into the eyes of the Avatars as they stand there in their new bodies. They begin to snap back to themselves like they're being re awakened again.

"That outta do the trick." He says dusting his hands. "Alec, how ya been buddy?"

"John!" Alec exclaims.

"Hey! There he is!"

The two hug each other.

"Last time I saw you, you were a 6'10 avocado with arms and legs. I guess you could say an egg roll is an improvement eh?" John says patting Alec on the back.

"The mild racism aside, I have to agree." He looks up at John. "You look umm... older?"

"It's called, 'Vintage', you cheeky bugger you."

Alec turns to see the other Avatars as they address their new bodies.

"Everyone here?" He asks.

"I think so, kid." A short elderly man says stepping forwards. "Guess you could say I got the short end of the stick... again."

"Sunny. That you?"

"Course it's me. Anyway we gonna get out of here or what?"

"Yeah. Let's get going." He turns to John. "John, you got a way out of here or a plan?"

"Yeah. Everyone who's won the body lottery and got someone decent, grab one of them guns and take to the front with me. We dash through the Cadmus base and out through the main entrance as fast as we can, alright? I've got some spells that should keep us undetected for the time being but we've gotta act fast. I've got a guy with a copter waiting for us out top. We're gonna wanna get moving quick cos I assume there's another group of guards on their way down here as we speak?"

"We're not going." A large elderly woman man standing at the front says followed by a wheelchair bound man and a 8 year old girl.

"I was once a mighty Avatar of the Green." The old woman says. "I was the pride of my homeland and a powerful warrior, now look at me. Trapped in this feeble body with no power and I assume not much time left to live. This is no life for me or my comrades here. We've already decided that we shall stay here but we shall attempt to stall the guards long enough to give you time to escape."

"You guys are sure?"

"It wasn't our decision to be reborn like this Holland, allow us to fight bravely one last time..."

"Alright. Thanks so much for fighting with us."

"We ready to go then?" John asks.

The Avatars look to Alec. A tall Eastern European woman steps forwards. "Lead the way, Holland."

"Alright." He says standing picking up a rifle with the remaining 9 Avatars.

* * *

><p><strong><span>The Swamps, Houma, Louisiana<span>**

Abigail Arcane walks through the still smouldering swamps looking at the now unfamiliar places where she and Alec spent hours and hours just sitting and talking together, wrapped up in each other never wanting to let go.

"Oh god! Stop thinking all that mush." The Rot grumbles to Abigail.

"I'm thinking this mush, because I'm looking forward to how much cuddling we're going to be doing when he gets back."

"Gets back? Didn't you see? He's different now. He's not Alec anymore."

"Mhm? This isn't the first time, Alec's been gone you know? He goes but he always returns."

"The fact that he hasn't come back as Swamp Thing and that there's some new Swamp Thing now should tell you he's not coming back."

"Will you hush up? Look, we're here."

Abby looks down at a massive mound of turned up ashen dirt in a huge circle. She reaches out her hand as Rot energies begin to surge from her palm. They reach out, like dark misty tendrils into the dirt causing the dirt to begin to swirl like a slow motion hurricane picking up speed as it goes, churning itself out as it goes. She watches as a darkened silver body slowly begins to rise from the dirt like a corpse. She levitates him up from the soil as the dirt stop churning. She slowly lowers him down to the ground and he slowly begins to look up at her. He spits the dirt out of his mouth and tries to get a bearing on his surroundings, his bright red gloves tracing the darkened platinum skin of his face.

"Captain Atom?" She asks.

"... You?" He slowly said.

He tries to get to his feet, his face twisting in an enraged state.

"You!" He yells, cosmic energies beginning to burn around his hands.

"Yes. Me."

"I'll kill you for what you did to me!"

"And I could just as easily do it again."

He stands up to his full height and looms over her, fists at the ready.

"You're under arrest!"

"I'm under arrest?"

"Yes, for attacking a United States Military Officer while on duty."

"And I'm sure the United States Military would love to hear why the All American iPhone Case, was packed full of Agent Orange and then used to attack a small town."

"That's classified Military Intel, lady. It was a sting operation against a known bio-terrorist. Agent Orange gasses were the only way to eliminate the threat he posed."

"Oh for godsake. You think you know everything because you've got a badge don't you?!"

"Yes because we always check our facts. This Swamp Thing is the only known suspect in a case which involves international property damage and the loss of thousands of lives. If you don't think we're taking someone like that into custody then you can take it from me that we damn sure will."

"Uh huh. Y'know I'd actually be more than happy to cooperate with you and I'm sure 'Swamp Thing' would also, but just straight out attacking us? What the hell is wrong with you people? Why is that your first response to anything?"

"You probably know better than anyone else what The Swamp Thing is capable of. You knew that we couldn't take any chances."

"So why did these plant attacks just suddenly stop happening and why did all over the globe they retract back into the soil?"

"That was one of the things we came here to find out."

"So you want information but you attack instead of asking for it?!"

"I've already explained why we've attacked. Now you're under arrest-"

Abby puts Captain Atom down with a swift blast of Rot energy causing him to fall to the floor.

"What've your people done with, Swamp Thing?"

"I'll never talk!"

"Fine. How about we go meet the people of this town? They just congratulated me for stomping your silver ass into the ground. I'm pretty sure they'll be more than happy to say Hi to the guy who tried to murder everyone in the town."

"... Fine..." He grumbles.

"What was your mission?"

"To retrieve the Swamp Thing body. I was just the guy hired to take him down."

"Who were those guys in the hazmat suits?"

"They were called the Green Team. A group scientists from Cadmus recruited almost 100 people to the program. Their mission was to tap into the same life force Swamp Thing does and take it for the US Government's control. This included capturing the Swamp Thing body to try and figure it out."

"The Green in the power of the US government..." Abby mutters in astonishment.

"That was the mission. The recruits were whittled down to a team of 4 who tried to take Swamp Thing down. They seem to have failed."

"Do you know who was in charge of this project?"

"Amanda Waller. She worked with some scientist guy, Leo Quintum to create the Green Team. Do you know anything about the guy who showed up in the mech who took out 'Swamp Thing'."

"Negative. That wasn't part of the plan as far as I was concerned."

"Alright. You're free to go."

"Don't think this is the last you'll hear of me, Miss. You'll be hearing from the Justice League for this." He says getting to his feet.

"And I'll be sure to tell them all about what you did."

She watches as Captain Atom flies off into the skies, trying to pat the dust off of his silver body.

"What a dick head." The Rot says.

"Finally, something we agree on."

"What next then?"

"We find the guy who took over as the Avatar of The Green and beat the ever living snot out of him."

* * *

><p><strong><span>San Diego<span>**

Animal Man hovers above the scene as cars and busses parked in the middle of a street as people get out of their cars and move over to the massive roots that have suddenly sprouted from the sewers.

He lands next to the people warily watching the roots for any sign of movement.

"Looks like someone didn't eat their veggies." Animal Man says as he lands.

"Oh Animal Man!" A truck driver nearby exclaims.

"Hi yeah. When did this happen?"

"Just minute ago. Big ol' thing just 'rupted from the ground. Don't dare get too near in case of it moving again."

"Please return to your vehicles ladies and gentlemen till the authorities arrive. I'll handle it from here." He says with a smile.

People begin to applaud and cheer as he turns back towards the massive root. He grabs it by the sprouts and begins to pull with the strength of a bull elephant, the grip of a python and a pint of cockroach endurance to keep the blood vessels from popping under the pressure. He eventually manages to uproot the massive plant and tears it out from the ground. He hears the applauding of the crowds and smiles before lifting it into the air. He carefully lowers it on a nearby building before swooping back down towards the massive hole.

"Here goes nothing."

He slowly lowers himself into the sewer and kicks in the night vision of a rabbit to as he follows the massive roots still left behind.

"Hello!" He hears the echo reverberate around him. "Anyone down here?"

Suddenly he sees bloody marks left on the walls. He follows the bloody marks to see a man sitting in a pile of blood in the sewage water with roots growing out of his stomach.

"Sir! Oh my god. I'll um—hold still."

"...Go..." He mutters through the roots growing out of his mouth and eyes.

"Sir just-"

Buddy is grabbed by thick strands around his wrists and he's pulled to the ground his head just looking up from the water to see the man standing over him.

"Agh! Let me go!" He says pulling at the strings. The man standing above him seems to be made out of bark and moss with a crescent shaped horns atop his head.

"Ahh... The Avatar of the Red. Such a shame. I thought you'd be a challenge but it seems you're just a feeble child with the powers of a God... I am disappointed."

"Avatar? The Red? What're you talking about?!"

"And they didn't even inform you? Fascinating."

"Listen you walking tree stump-!"

In a quick swift movement Edward's wing turns to a thick spike and extends down towards, Buddy stabbing him through the chest silencing him immediately.

"Pathetic..." He mumbles. "Next..."

* * *

><p><strong><span>Cadmus Labs<span>**

John, Alec and the Avatars run through the Cadmus labs shooting down the guards as they stop with John keeping protective and invisible spells around them at all times. They run through the crackle of confused lazer fire till they reach the front doors.

"Shazam..." John says sarcastically as a bolt of lightning leaps from his fingers and breaks down the front doors. They rush through the doors into the blinding light of day. The sound of helicopter blades are heard over head as the chopper lowers itself into the parking lot. The doors open and young man with blonde hair and dark eyes signals for them to 'get in'. They race into the chopper as John closes the door behind the last of them. They take off while being shot at by the Cadmus guards.

Alec looks over to the man driving the copter.

"... You're kidding me right?"

The man turns around and gives Alec a cheeky grin.

"Arcane..." Alec grumbles.

"The one and only." Anton smirks.

"Yeah..." John joins in. "I know you two aren't exactly bezzies but we're going to have to work together on this one Alec. We're headed to Louisiana to sort this out once and for all."

"Not that I'm questioning your status as a good Samaritan, John but... what exactly did you rescue me for-A AAHHHHA!"

He yells out and falls to the ground. John grabs him and tries to get him from going under as he begins to have a fit again.

"Alec! C'mon don't faze out on me pal!"

"Yes Alec..." Another more mysterious voice enters. "Don't go and die again..."

Alec slowly falls back into his mind as he sees a man with bark skin, large wooden wings and thick horns protruding from his temples.

"Who... are you?"

"You don't remember me Alec?"

"... Should I?"

"It's me... Edward Holland!"

* * *

><p><strong>Next Issue<strong>: Who is Edward Holland?


	16. Chapter 16

**Swamp Thing**

**War Torn Part 3**

**Issue 16 By James Brady**

* * *

><p><span><strong>The Rot<strong>

Abby floats above a bulging mass of Lovecraftian Horror, before descending past the swarms of skinless bats and fume winds. Next to her is a dark raven with scales instead of feathers.

"Home again, home again, jiggity jig." The Raven says cynically.

"So you don't like the Rot either?"

"Why the hell do we have to have these silly system of parliaments? I mean I'm grateful for it giving me a reason to live and all but why can't something just rot without givining it a reason? Why can't something just grow and live without having some godamn parliament to decide where things shall grow and having a different parliament who decided where things die? You or that Swamp bloke ever consider that? In the history of these life webs as far as I know, I'm the only person who has realised how utterly pointless it all it."

"Why is there life to grow and die in the first place? We take it for granted but it often baffles me how we go about our daily lives not having mental breakdowns trying to figure out why there is something when there could, and most likely should, be nothing. We take it for granted that there is life to live and die and then we put rules on top of that. We have laws and systems and governments on Earth and makes and lacks just as much sense."

"Still makes the crusty dried boil in my veins boil."

Abby spreads her wings and begins to swoop over the massive blustering boil of world. Rotlings stumble around the wasteland looking for any leftover raw flesh or life to suck dry. Cities of bone and buildings of disease make up the mass of turbulent puss below.

"We heading in the right director?" Abby asks.

The Raven glances at its surroundings before squawking.

"Yeah we're on it. Just don't get too low. They might think you're a treat that the Citadel launches out every few weeks to keep the masses hungry for more."

They pass over a dust sea with broken down bone marrow boats and fermenting carcasses before they come to a gothic tower spiralling up into the dreamless skies.

"There it is. The Dark House." The Raven sniggers.

"Dark house?" Abby asks.

"Like the opposite of a light house."

They swoop down and land on the porch. Abby knocks on the door keeping her wings raised and razor sharp.

"An avatar..." A deep rolling voice from the house echos. "Many a year has been past' since yon has graced me wit' tis prescience. Fair avatar of all that is decay, bless the dark house before you, wit' a song..."

"A song?"

"A song to quell my kindred heart oh avatar... One so fair as yourself must be bestowed with a voice from above."

Abby turns to the Raven beside her.

"Well? Sing it a song." The Raven prompts.

"Sing the house a song?" Abby asks.

"Yes!"

"Alright..."

Abby steps towards the dark house.

"Uhhhhh... Up in the club, club, just broke up, up, I'm doing my own little thing. Decided to dip, dip, and now you wanna trip, trip, cos an-!"

"Silence." The Dark House snaps.

"Sorry."

"Enter."

The door slowly creeks open and Abby and the Raven step inside. They walk up the rickety spiral staircase towards the top of the dark house. Macabre Victorian portraits of decaying family members hang the walls as they near the top. Abby and the Raven reach the top of the stair case and pass through a weird translucent film to pass into the dark room.

Abby gasps as she sees it, a huge ceiling made up of human bodies moulding together in a horrendous mass of naked flesh hanging from the ceiling. It arcs downwards in the middle as a little girl's head hangs from middle.

"Welcome to The Dark House, Avatar Abigail. What can The Mass help you with my dear?" The little girl's head says in a deep echoing tone her eyes flickering from black to red.

"Oh my god."

"Do not be alarmed by my appearance dear Avatar. We are but a loyal family to the cause of The Rot. Please. Ask us what you wish to know fair Avatar."

"The New Avatar of The Green." Abby says, looking away from The Mass. "I need to know where he is headed."

"Ahhh... The Usurper is too be matched in combat. The Red didn't fair so well. Perhaps the glorious Rot will triumph against this Green Whore. His location..."

The Girls eyes turn fully black as The Mass begins to curdle and move as the arms and legs and bodies begin to spasm in frantic electric movements. A moaning gurgling sound of the lungs being crushed tog ether gets louder and louder and the spasm continues. Abby somehow can't look away as The Mass cripples itself and then pops it's bones back into position thousands of times over and over again in the space of what seems like an eternity.

The horror stops and the girl's mouth opens. A mist pours out and heads straight for Abby. She cringes as she feels the mist enter her nostrils. She creases her face up like a ball of paper before releasing.

"I can see him... I know where he is." She says.

The skies above Illinois

The Helicopter passes through the cool air towards its destination. Inside Alec Holland is lying on the floor with his eyes glowing green. John Constantine kneels next to him casting a spell of Mental Healing.

"C'mon Alec! You're not getting away that easy!"

Suddenly Alec jolts to consciousness his eyes reverting to their normal colour.

"What's going on back there?" Anton shouts from the cockpit.

"Don't worry. I think he's back." John shouts back. He turns to Alec. "Alec. You alright there mate?"

"Oh god! He's coming!" Alec shouts grabbing onto John's jacket.

"What? Who-"

SMASH! The front of the helicopter is thrown backwards causing the copter to suddenly flip over, resulting in everyone inside to fall about the interior like rag dolls. Anton leaps into the back seat as the copter begins to turn topside again, with roots and vines shooting towards them crushing and tangling the copter as they move further into the mechanism.

"What the bleeding #*&^?!" John shouts.

Suddenly with a strong yank the vines tear away the front of the copter and it begins to slowly descend. Into the torn out vehicle walks Edward Holland, the Avatar of The Green.

"Greetings." He says calmly before shooting out vines from his hand wrapping the group of ex-avatars, Anton and John in them. In a swift movement he pulls the vines back and they all go flying out of the copter falling towards the ground. Alec watches in horror as they're sent to their deaths and watches as his brother steps towards him.

"I thought we could use some alone time to catch up, Alec." The Avatar says stepping forwards as Alec shrinks into the corner. Edward grabs Alec and takes off into the sky. Below them the avatars continue to plunge to their deaths with John trying desperately to cast a spell to save them.

"I have dreamt. I dreamt I was a man, pretending to be a superhero. I dreamt I was a superhero pretending to be a man. Now I dream of Red, a gushing ocean of the stuff gouging through me, an eternal stream of vibrancy. I feel strings cast around me as more and more appear making up some sort of skin like mesh. It drags me towards something, something strange..."

A mesh of veins with eyeballs stands before great colossal creatures of skin and bone surrounded by the beating heart of the Red. The creatures tower above the mesh which seems to believe it is Buddy Baker.

"Buddy Baker... you have failed your task to protect the Red and uphold our values as our chosen representative for The Parliament of Limbs on Earth. What say you in your defence" One of the giants declares a robed figure with huge horn like appendages coming out of his face and reaching into the air.

"This is happening..." The mesh thinks to itself.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Above Illinois<span>**

Tears being to stream from Johns eyes as they're whipped out at a break neck speed. Many of the ex-avatars flail around in the air trying to desperately survive. Anton on the other hands seems to be creepily pleased as the ground is comes towards them faster and fast. John realises that it's his time.

Whup! It's back to old business as dark tendrils wrap around John. He looks up to see Arcana floating above them grasping the failing Avatars with Rot energy tendrils extending from her hands.

"Much obliged Missus Holland. Not that I make it my business to get into family affairs but you wouldn't be so kind as to rescue that bastardly uncle of yours. Something gives me the feeling that he'd do more damage dead than alive."

Arcana winces at John before reluctantly sending down a tendril to save Anton. She then slowly floats to the ground. She releases the tendrils as soon as they reach the ground, in the middle of a forest.

"What happened?" Arcana asks.

"Nice to see you too Missus Holland. Long time no see it seems. You've...changed."

"What happened?" She demands again.

"The bloody new Swamp Thing. Attacked us and took Alec. Not sure why. Just before Alec went into a coma and came out announcing his imminent arrival and that he was his brother."

"His brother?"

"Apparently. Dunno if that's some weird fugue state things but lemme tell you from experience, always listen to the guy speaking in tongues."

"You see where they were headed?"

"No but pretty sure I can get a read on them. I tagged Alec and these avatars before we left the facility."

"The facility?"

"Cadmus were holding these lot. After I heard of Alec being taken out by government agents in a mech suit I knew something was up. Did some digging and found where these government agents were working out of. Trying to harness The Green for themselves y'see and I decided to check it out and see if I could help get to the bottom of this, maybe do Alec a favour for old times. Looks like I've got more than I bargained for."

"That lines up. I was there in the swamp when they attacked. Justice Leaguer, Captain Atom was leading them. I got similar info out of him."

"What took you so long to get around to it?"

"Helping the people of Houma rebuild their town."

"Sounds like you was playing hero rather than doing what needed to be done."

"I was helping those in need."

"And that's usually what gets in the way of getting the job done miss. Leave that to the Leaguers. Our types need to do what needs to be done. Remember that."

"Don't tell me how I should use my powers."

"Don't be an idiot Arcane. Or should I call you, Arcana as the press are calling you?"

"Arcana? Really?" Anton interjects.

"Shut up!" Abby says punching her uncle into a nearby tree.

He slides down the branches holding his jaw.

"Not bad." He says cracking it back into place.

"Let's get this over with so we can end this." Abby says turning back to John.

"Fair say love."

"Pardon me." A commanding voice appears from behind them. They all turn to see Amanda Waller approaching them with a group of ARGUS agents following her.

"But I'd like to give you kids a helping hand." She says cocking her pistol.

Elsewhere above Illinois

Edward flies above the skies with Alec in his clutches.

"Doesn't this feel right brother? The two of us towering above the world, full of potential and strength. The power to build and destroy as we see fit."

"No. I haven't seen you in years, I thought you were dead! Why are you here and why are you suddenly taking over as the avatar?"

"Here." Edward hands Alec a potato looking vegetable. "I'm sure you're familiar with these tubers."

"Yes." Alec says wincing at the vegetable.

"Well then? Let's get to it."

Alec gingerly takes it from his hand and slowly takes a bite. It hits him like a wave and in that moment... their minds are melded.

Next Issue: Origins revealed.

* * *

><p><strong>Next Issue: Who is Edward Holland?<strong>


	17. Chapter 17

**Swamp Thing**

**War Torn Part 4**

**Issue 17 By James Brady**

* * *

><p><strong>19 Years Ago<strong>

"Thus Professor Woodrue's theory is incorrect and that by this method of synthetic photosynthesis stimulation, increased organic growth could potentially be achieved depending on any unseen X factors."

Edward Holland stands proudly in front of the botany class in the lecture hall, his brilliant mind scrawled across the board in the form of short hand notes and scribbles being connected by the chalk in his hand.

The class slowly turn to Dr. Jason Woodrue who sits at the side engrossing himself in Edward's notes. He slowly realises that the class is looking to him for an answer or some form of rebuttal.

"#*&^..." He mutters slowly getting to his feet "I do think this point of contention has gone on far enough. It looks like we've come to the end of our session. Make sure to study for the theory test tomorrow."

The class pack up their note pads and laptops as they begin to make their way out of the lecture hall. Edward is about to leave when Woodrue calls to him.

"Holland. My office." He says sternly.

The two walk from the noisy lecture hall and into the silent but cluttered office. The room has a potent humidity to it due to the incessant presence of the lights positioned above the various jarred plants around the room. Dr. Woodrue walks behind his desk shooing his cat from its seat on his chair. He sits down as Edward approaches the desk.

"Yes sir?" Edward asks. He is a tall young man with light blond hair and thick glasses on his nose. Wavery facial hair clings around his lower jaw and above his lips.

"Who has been communicating with you?"

"... What do you mean sir?"

"From the green. I've suspected this for a while but who was it?"

"The green? What're you talking about sir?"

Woodrue leans back in his chair his eyes tracing Edward's face.

"You don't know... how interesting." He mutters after a few moments of unbroken silence.

"I don't know sir. What are you talking about?"

"It seems we have a lot to discuss but first your theory of photosynthetic stimulation. You think this come somehow be synthesised into a formula?"

"Most likely. It'd probably cost quite a bit to create and a hell of a lot of fresh recourses. Probably would take a few years to even begin starting test trials."

"Hrm... could you email me a revised version of your notes."

"Yeah sure. You just wanted to have a look over them?"

"Yes. Just to make double check your theories. I'll talk to you tomorrow Edward."

"Alright uh thanks sir. What was that thing you were talking about... the uh... the Green?"

"Huh? Oh right. It's just this lab team they call themselves the Green as like a nick name. I thought they might have talked to you or something. No big deal."

"Oh... okay. See you sir." Edward says leaving the room. Edward slowly closes the door behind him with those two words ringing in his head.

"The Green."

That night

Edward sits up late on his laptop while his roommate snores on the bed opposite him. He tacks away at Google searches, forums and even some ventures into the dark web in search of any mention of The Green. Edward sits back in his chair thinking about the conversation he had with Dr. Wood-rue.

The Green.

What is it about that word those two words that resonated with him so much, like he remembers them from long ago meaning something very important to him. He tries desperately to remember but nothing seems to stick. He pulls out a jotter from his desk and scrawls in large letters, _The Green _on it.

He looks at the words again before going to bed.

The next day

Dr. Jason Woodrue walks through the campus of Harvard University on his way to his lecture when he feels his phone buzzing in his pocket. He lifts it out to see that Dr. Leo Quintum is calling him.

"Hello, Quintum. I see you've received my email."

"Jason. Your student's work... I cannot even begin to fathom how he came up with this but is there any way we can bring him in? I spoke with the director and she told me that we need to get in touch with Edward as soon as possible. His work could revolutionise everything we know about plant life and potentially end world hunger as we know it."

"I know, I know Leo. I'll have him call you and arrange a meeting to discuss his possible employment."

"Excellent. I've got to go but this is a break through unlike any other Woodrue."

"I know my friend. Good day now."

"Good day to you to."

The call ends and Leo Quintum continues to his lecture.

That evening

Jason Woodrue sits on the floor of his house in the living room. Plants grow all over the room coming from pots all around the room and even from the walls with grass poking itself out through the floor boards. On the roof are sun light bulbs giving the room a strange vibrancy to it. Woordrue lies back and lets his mind slip...

Into the Green.

He wades through an ocean of murky green water as he comes to a luscious island filled with tropical plants and fruits that seem to be pouring off the small piece of land. Woodrue walks up the beach to see a short fat man sitting beneath a parasol on a deck chair sipping a cocktail.

"Enjoying yourself?" Woodrue asks.

The short fat man turns his head to reveal his oaken face with a bushy head of moss hair. His clothes resemble that of a French aristocrat during the 19th century.

"Woodrue. How unpleasant to make your acquaintance again. Will your sorry lusting after the Green ever end?"

"No but I am happy to be a loyal servant for the time being."

"So be it... what have you got for us at the moment?"

"Pamela Isley. She is a student in my class and I strongly suggest you begin to influence her. She could become an incredible and loyal avatar of the Green."

"Very well then. I'll have to have the Parliament look into it." He finishes the last of his cocktail and gets out of his chair and looks to the great floronic city before them that is the Capital of The Green.

"Will I ever be allowed to go there?" Woodrue asks.

"Probably not. Beggars are never choosers Woodrue. Never forget that, now off with you."

"Pleasure talking with you, The Wolf." Woodrue says as he turns around and walks back into the ocean allowing himself to slip back...

Into his body.

Jason Woodrue sits up as he rubs his temples feeling the scathing migraine that is psychic whip lash.

"What a dick head." He whispers under his breath.

Weeks later

Edward approaches the office door of Dr. Woodrue, his rucksack around his back and his suitcase in his hands. He knocks on the office door.

"Come in!" Woodrue answers.

Edward opens the door to see Woodrue tending to his plants. He turns around as Edward enters the room.

"Edward how are you?"

"I'm afraid I'm leaving sir."

"What? Today?"

"Yes. I've got to head there a little early to fill in some paper work on my passport before starting work the next day. I just wanted to say thank you again for putting me in contact with Cadmus and setting up this job."

"Wow. Well I'm extremely happy for you Edward. I'm sure you and Dr. Quintum will do wonders at Cadmus. It is your duty to the world to use your gifts to make it a better place. Never forget that."

"Of course. That's what I got into Botany to do."

"Well... I won't keep you waiting. Be sure to email me with your progress but I'm sure I'll be hearing about it on the news."

"Hahaha. We can only hope it's for the right reason and that I don't create some hideous plant monster ahaha."

Edward and Woodrue laugh.

"I'll keep in touch." Edward says he sticks out his hand to Dr. Woodrue.

"Good luck, son." Dr. Woodrue says shaking his hand.

A week later

Cadmus Labs

Edward sits at the desk, now wearing his new Cadmus lab coat with a green plant like logo on the breast pocket, in his lab looking through a high tech microscope at a Xylem extract. The tiny organic cells deeply compacted into one another when he sees it, a tiny green spot in the sea of white and blue shapes. He slowly readjusts the microscope and towards it and zooms in. He sees small flashing lights in this tiny cell drawing him further and further in till he sees one long dark strand disappearing into the cell. He tries to zoom if further but that's as far as it goes. He looks closely at the strange cell and reaches for his recorder.

"Xylem research continues to be fascinating as I've come across some sort of a mutated looking cell. I seem to see a DNA strand in it but I'm not too sure where it seems to be connected to. It could just be an accidental mutation of this extract but further research will prove if this could help restructure the formula for cell production."

Edward puts down the recorder and looks back into the microscope. He sees the slide has turned black. He switches to a different lens to see what looks like the DNA strand reaching up towards the microscope.

"What the hell..."

Edward begins to focus the zoom in some more when it disappears from sight. He searches the cells for it when he suddenly feels a sort of spasm take place in his brain, a seething wracking sensation over coming him. He loses control of his body and falls to the ground, clattering his head on the floor.

/

Edward looks down to see a great jungle city before him on the edge of the ocean. Nearby naked people with light green skin walk around hand in hand enjoying the luscious fruits that surround him as the sun beams down for all it's worth. He seems to be standing atop some wild mountain of moss with exotic plants covering every inch of his surroundings. He steps further out towards the edge of the mountain as he notices a gushing water fall beside him flowing down into a massive pool of ice cool water. The people below begin to call up to him.

"Jump Avatar! Jump!" They begin to crowd around all chanting for him to jump.

Edward cracks a smile and steps backwards.

"Avatar... that sounds just right." He thinks to himself as he rushes forward and leaps of the edge.

The water slowly comes up fast and he catches a glimpse of his new body, beautiful light armour made from flower petals with a bark crown surrounding his skull. He crashes into the water as the world below the surface seems to go in slow motion. He looks down to see that the pool is far deeper than he originally thought as he see deep down is a light green light. He turns and begins to swim towards it pulling himself down further. He comes to a small cave at the bottom and sees 5 small Red Wood trees at the bottom of the pool with large faces made out of the mass of pines.

"Hello Edward Holland. You seem to be enjoying yourself." One of the trees with a kindly motherly voice says.

"Hello? Um could I ask where I am?"

"You're in a projection of the Green. This is not the real thing as no one is allowed to fully join the Green but what you just saw was what the world could be if we were given the chance to bestow our gift upon it."

"Oh... the Green. How come you can't bestow that world upon them?"

"Because we haven't found just the right Avatar to bring about this new age as of yet, we were hoping you could rectify that."

"An avatar? Yes uh of course. Um how could-"

"You just leave that to us. We shall tell you when the time is ready. For now continue your work Mr. Holland and we shall see."

"Oh... okay. Um thanks."

/

Hours later

"He's awake Doctor." The nurse says as Edward's eyes are slowly opened.

He looks up to realise he's in a medical area of Cadmus labs as Dr. Leo Quintum his boss in charge of the program approaches him.

"Edward! Oh thank god you're alright. You really scared us for a second there man."

"Yeah... I don't know what happened. Must've been a head rush or something."

"Well we're just glad you're okay. You mustn't be over working yourself now. This is an important project but it can only be achieved if our head of production is still alive to see it through now."

"Haha yeah I suppose."

"Take tomorrow off Holland."

"Yeah... sure."

The next day

Edward sits in his apartment and looks down his microscope at every extract he's accumulated so far to find nothing. He searches through his research books for any helpful information on the Xylem mutation but again finds nothing. Where else could he find that kind of Xylem mutation.

Oh.

He searches through his old jotter books from years ago and find the one documented, organic plants. He opens it up and sees the plants that he created years ago back in high school. He searches through his notes of Xylem mutation and finds it. Right there the same kind of Xylem mutation he was researching yesterday. He gets online and books a plane ticket back home, to Arkansas.

Arkansas, Holland Residence

Alec sits at his desk looking over a pot of plants trying to decide which one to use in his experiment. He gets out a towel and slowly begins to tear out the small cacti when his mom enters the room.

"Alec! Haven't I told you to keep out of my gardening shed! Give me that back young man."

"Aw mom listen could I just have that one! I wanted to use it for-"

"Didn't I just get you one of those?"

"Yeah but the experiment didn't work. Look you're just using that one for show. I actually need this one for my research."

"I don't care young man. I don't go rooting through your stuff."

Ding Dong.

She exits the room to go answer the door. She walks down the stairs of the cosy house and opens the door to see Edward standing there.

"Oh my god! Edward!" She drops the pot of plants on the ground and reaches forward to hug him.

"Hi. Mom." He says patting her on the back.

"What you doing back? I thought you were still settling into your new job."

"Yeah I was. I just realised I needed to come back and get some stuff."

"Oh... so you're not going to stay for dinner. You might as well, you've come all this way. Also we could've just sent it to you."

"Would've taken too long and no I'm not staying for dinner. I need to get back." Edward walks past him mom and up the stairs.

"Well you should at least stay until your father gets back. He'll want to hear all about your time at college and now Cadmus. Must be so exciting."

"Uh it's fine I suppose."

Alec comes out of his room as he sees his brother walking up the stairs.

"Oh! Hey Edward!" He steps forward to greet his brother but he pushes past him.

"Uh hey Alec. You haven't been messing with my stuff again have you?"

"No. How's Cadmus. You gotta tell me about all the tech they've got there!"

Edward enters his old room and heads for the incubator.

"Yeah maybe later." He opens up the incubator and pulls out a small trowel and a plastic inventory sachet.

"What're you doing? How long are you staying?"

He begins digging out the Avatar from its containment and carefully puts it into the sachet. He seals the sachet and puts into his pocket and heads for the door.

"Bye." Edward says as he passes Alec.

"Where are you going?"

"Back to my job."

"What? How come you're not staying?"

"Because I've got work to do."

"When are you coming back?"

"I don't know. I probably won't see you for a long time though."

Alec watches as his brother walks out of the door as his mother tries desperately to get him to stay.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Now<span>**

Alec awakens with a horrible groggy feeling as his throat feels rough and his body seems to tremble. His finds his hands are pressed against concrete as he sees a horrible mess of liquid on the ground in front of him. He sits back as he starts to come to his senses.

"Wooo... that did not sit right with you. Surprised you didn't start coughing your internal organs seeing as all your body has been ingesting for the past month has been nothing but liquidised nutrients."

"... You created the Growth Formula?"

"Yes Alec. The Green must have redacted that memory to make it seem more like you were the true candidate after I died. After that day when I last saw you, I began working all day and night, trying to get back to the Green. I lost my job at Cadmus after failing to come to work. Eventually I called Dr. Woodrue asking for his advice. He told me that an Avatar is born in plant life and fire. So I drove to the nearest swamp land and crashed my car into it. But it didn't work. I wasn't reborn and I was comatose as you know for years. Our parents stopped visiting after the first year and I lay there, a literal vegetable. Until I woke up. I don't know what happened but I was re awoken by something. I sorted my life out and returned to Cadmus with my plans on how to take the Green back for the government who wanted you head after the Plant Holocaust those Aliens caused."

"And you have no idea why you were resurrected?"

"I assume the Green brought me back as they needed someone to take over your position. I think I've done pretty well so far to be perfectly honest."

"This is a lot to take in. The Green implanted the idea of the Growth Formula?"

"They have their means. Listen. I know the last time you saw me I acted like a jerk to you and mom but I wanted to make it right."

Edward gestures to the right. Alec follows his out stretched finger to see his childhood home with his parents standing in the door way staring at their two sons.

* * *

><p><strong>Next Issue: Family Reunion! The Red! And The Strangest team-up in DC History.<strong>


	18. Chapter 18

**Swamp Thing**  
><strong>War Torn Part 5<strong>  
><strong>Issue 18 By James Brady<strong>

* * *

><p><span><strong>Arkansas<strong>

"Mom! Dad! It's so good to see you again!" Edward says stepping towards Larry and Alice Holland standing in shock in their front yard.

"Please just stay back. We don't want any trouble, son." Larry Holland says stepping backwards keeping his wife just behind him.

"I don't mean any harm Dad. It's me Edward. Your son."

"E-Edward..."

"And this is Alec. I've brought us together again."

"You... you died... both of you died."

"We were resurrected by The Green. Look I know this is a lot to take in. Why don't we just go inside so I can explain?"

"How do I know it's really you Edward? How do I know you are Alec?" Alice Holland asks stepping forward.

"Because me and you spent the summer of 1986 making a jigsaw of the world in our conservatory. I remember you took a picture of me putting in the last piece and it's still on the mantle piece." Alec says stepping forwards.

"... Alec..." His mom says as they reach out and embrace each other.

"Oh god. You're back we were told you died." She sobs holding him tight. "Just... come in."

"Okay ma." He says as Edward and his dad follow inside.

* * *

><p><strong>San Diego Police Station <strong>

"Cliff! Cut it out! Mom!" Maxine shouts standing on the plastic chairs pushing Cliff as he wrestles with her arms.

Ellen Baker picks Maxine up and puts her on the chair next to her away from Cliff.

"If either of you do anything that annoys the other I'll -"

The door swings open and in walks two police officers.

"Mrs. Baker I'm terribly sorry for keeping you here... but we suspect that you and your family maybe in danger."

"Officer has Buddy done anything wrong?"

"Miss Baker, I'm sorry to say but your husband was found stabbed through the chest by what seemed to be some kind of spear. He's currently in critical condition and the hospital is doing everything they can to keep him alive. His healing powers seem to be helping but we can't say for sure if he'll make it through. I'm so sorry but whoever attempted to kill your husband may be after you and your children. We couldn't take any chances."

"Let me see him. Please we need to see him!" Ellen begs tears streaming down her face.

"Not until we're sure no one is after you and your family, I'm afraid. I can't let you leave this vault I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He says solemnly.

He and the other cop slowly makes their way out of the room as Ellen breaks down and cries as Cliff just stares in shock.

"Don't worry mommy." Maxine says putting her tiny hand on her mom's shoulder. "Daddy's going to be okay."

Ellen hugs Maxine tight as she continues to cry. "I don't know baby."

"Mommy stop crying. Daddy's going to be okay. He tolded me."

"He... he told you? Maxine I'm sorry but you haven't seen him since breakfast this morning."

"No he told me just a minute ago and he told me to tell you also. He says he loves us all lots and he'll be back soon."

"... Oh Maxine." She sighs hugging her daughter again.

* * *

><p><strong>The Red<strong>

Buddy's eyes turn from the blood red gradient to his natural blue pupils. He shakes his head and looks back to the totems looming over him.

"Thanks for that. Just wanted to let them know. Shall we get started? I don't want to keep them waiting."

"Yes." Brother Limbs says. "We will have our tailors craft your new body, maybe give you some upgrades, and they should shall carry out our bidding to kill the Avatar of the Green."

"... I'll- I'll do it."

* * *

><p><strong>Northern Arkansas<strong>

An ARGUS helicopter flies over the skies with 3 others following just behind. Inside the main copter is John Constantine, Amanda Waller, Dr. Leo Quintum, Arcana and Anton Arcane. John sits at the window looking down at the state below with binoculars over his eyes.

"Keep up the place lads. Not far now." John shouts into the cock pit.

"I should probably let you know Miss Waller. I'm not going to let you take Alec or his brother or the avatars. They're coming with me. You're not getting a hold of the green or any of the life webs." Abby says sincerely.

"You can have your boy toys Miss Arcane. I've got enough stuff on my plate for the time being I'm just going to hope this one keeps itself quiet until it doesn't because I will be there to make sure it pipes down and something tells me so will you." Amanda replies.

"Oh... thank you."

"Bull*&^%." Anton coughs.

"Pardon me?" Amanda asks.

"Oh just clearing my throat."

* * *

><p><strong>Arkansas, Holland Resistance <strong>

Edward walks into the house looks around like a child at Disney World.

"I wish I could still smell the old dry wood ceiling and the constantly dusty carpets. And that incense mom likes to burn in the summer and that little gas fire in the living room that we never got properly fixed."

He walks into the living room and has his wings grow back into his shoulder blades as he sits down on the couch.

"Oh my god..." He sighs.

"So... um Alec... and Edward." Larry Holland says sitting down opposite them as they all take their places.

"What... um what happened?"

"This is going to be hard to explain..." Alec says.

"Yeah... I didn't think about how we were gonna do this part." Edward says turning to Alec.

"So... I guess there's this entity called the Green. It's like a magical life force that connects to all plant life on the planet. Me and Edward for whatever reason have a special connection to this life force that makes us candidates for a role within this life force to act as like a guardian of it, a human embodiment of its power." Alec explains.

"This is where it gets tricky." Edward says. "You see I was originally supposed to be the avatar of the Green but I was informed that I was to be a candidate by my professor, you remember Mr. Wood-rue. This knowledge sent me admittedly slightly insane and I attempted to force the process by... sacrificing myself to the Green. I ended up in a coma as you know... and um... Yeah this must be hard to hear."

"I... Edward you should have told us, we would've gotten you help. This didn't have to happen!" Alice begs, tears streaming down her face.

"No mom it's okay. It's not your responsibility. This was my decision but look, it turned out okay in the end. I'm the avatar now."

"But how?"

"Alec has had a rougher time to be honest mom."

"Yeah... um so you know how I was killed in a lab accident? Well it wasn't exactly an accident. My lab had a dirty bomb planted there and I had the bio restorative formula that Edward had worked on before me, doused on me during the explosion. I ran into the swamp nearby and later emerged a massive heap of moss and soil and plant matter that the media called Swamp Thing. But it wasn't me. It was merely my consciousness that the Green thought was me and granted that meld of consciousness and plant matter into the Swamp Thing.

That creature lived for years and had relationships and adventures and became a hero until I was resurrected. I'm still not sure how but me and a bunch of other guys had to fight Swamp Thing and a other creatures with connections to the green who themselves had gone insane. We found who was behind it, these two aliens a man and a woman who had created plant life on Earth thousands of years ago and technically they also created human life but that's beside the point. I was killed but through the green I returned and found a new body, this one. Now I don't know who's body I'm wearing but I'm back."

His parents look at him in silence trying comprehend what they've just heard.

"Look I... I know. But honestly, I'm so much more weirded out by it. I had to live through it."

"Son... I'm so sorry." Larry almost whispers.

"It's okay. I'm just happy to be back. I'm not getting involved in this stuff anymore. I'm back and I want to continue my life."

"What uh... what about you Edward?"

"I was brought out of my coma during the plant holocaust you may have heard about on the news that happened just about a month ago. I sorted my life out and through sheer force of will, I defeated the other Swamp Thing that took Alec's place and I became the Avatar of teh Green. I've been carrying out their bidding since then. I killed the Avatar of the Red and I'm going to kill the Avatar of the Rot next. I'm going to create a green utopia on Earth ma. Just wait and see. I'm going to change everything starting today. I wanted to bring us together because I drove us apart years ago and I wanted to rectify that by making my new world for you guys to see."

Edward stands up and Alec turns to him.

"Edward what're you doing?"Alec asks.

Edward walks out of the room and the Holland's follow him.

"Edward whatever it is your planning you'd better cut it out now." Alec shouts as Edward walks outside and into the street.

His wings raised high above his head he lifts his arms and then all around they hear a loud rumbling. Suddenly for as far as the eye can see, huge roots and stems start cracking through the concrete and growing up high into the sky, huge colossal masses of vegetative matter raising up into the sky. Alec watches in horror and rushes forward to stop him only for a vine to reach out of the ground and pin him down.

"EDWARD!" He yells at the top of his lungs as more of these great colossal towers reach up into the heavens.

KA-BOOM! Edward is suddenly thrown across the street and engulfed in flame as his body seems to char away. The great towers begin to topple and fall as the vines constricting Alec slacken. He gets to his feet and sees a helicopter slowly coming into land on the street with Amanda Waller standing inside with a massive rocket launcher in her hands.

"Nononononononono!"Alec mumbles as he sees Amanda stepping out.

"You lying #&^%!" Abbie says leaping out of the helicopter afterwards, her wings grown back and her fingers turned to sharp razors.

"You said you wouldn't try and take him!"

"I haven't. I'm taking this idiot out of the picture."

Alec looks up to see another helicopter hovering over him as men in tactile armour leap out of zip lines and land on the ground. Two ARGUS officers detain Alec and drag him towards Amanda Waller.

"Aye that's the blighter." John says stepping out as the men bring Alec closer. "Alec bloody Holland."

"Alec? Is that you?" Abbie says seeing Alec standing before her.

"A-Abbie... oh wow... it's uh a long story." Alec says as the guards let go of him.

"I know. Looks like Amanda's just killed your brother. But I guess he's not dead."

"Yeah I saw. Miss Waller!"

Amanda turns from talking to one of the officers to see Alec.

"What? Is this Alec?" Amanda asks.

"Just as Asian as the day God made him." John says sarcastically.

"Miss Waller, please you've got to get some kind of containment unit down here immediately. That man is not dead."

"I shot him with a V9,00 Rocket Launcher, created by Lex Luthor to crack Superman's skin. This fool is dead. Sorry for your loss."

"Just... look!"

Amanda looks over to see what looks like a massive expanding mound of plant matter as it seems to be forming in a huge gas cloud.

"What the hell..." She mutters as the gas cloud seems to be forming into some kind of huge shape.

It begins to tower in the sky as this colossal being takes shape as arms and legs begins to sprout from it. About the size of a sky scraper the huge colossal being of plant matter looms over them.

"Edward..." Alec mutters as they look on in astonishment.

* * *

><p><strong>Next Issue: FINALE! War Torn concludes.<strong>


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